capsule
Pharmacology. a gelatinous case enclosing a dose of medicine.
Biology.
a membranous sac or integument.
either of two strata of white matter in the cerebrum.
the sporangium of various spore-producing organisms, such as ferns, mosses, algae, and fungi.
Botany. a dry dehiscent fruit, composed of two or more carpels.
a small case, envelope, or covering.
Also called space capsule. Aerospace. a sealed cabin, container, or vehicle in which a person or animal can ride in flight in space or at very high altitudes within the earth's atmosphere.
Aviation. a similar cabin in a military aircraft, which can be ejected from the aircraft in an emergency.
a thin metal covering for the mouth of a corked bottle.
a concise report; brief outline: An appendix to the book contains biographical capsules of the contributors.
to furnish with or enclose in or as if in a capsule; encapsulate.
to capsulize.
small and compact.
short and concise; brief and summarized: a capsule report.
containing only the most essential and versatile items of a particular kind:capsule wardrobe;capsule pantry.
Origin of capsule
1Other words from capsule
- un·cap·suled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use capsule in a sentence
Businessmen should never be in charge of putting together time capsules.
As Yablon pointed out at the opening, some time capsules do not invite the public to submit their own artifacts for preservation.
Activated Charcoal Capsules—sometimes you eat or drink something and wish you hadn't.
These Are The 15 Supplements to Keep In Your Medicine Cabinet | Ari Meisel | December 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTGoats milk is the closest equivalent to human breast milk and I always take these in combination with oil of oregano capsules.
These Are The 15 Supplements to Keep In Your Medicine Cabinet | Ari Meisel | December 28, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTYou can get high-dose coconut charcoal capsules with the highest surface area here.
Diplococci without capsules are common in the sputum, but have no special significance.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddNumerous methods for staining capsules have been devised, but few are satisfactory.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddThey are succeeded by kidney shaped capsules of a brown color.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.When it is inconvenient to stain before the smears have dried, capsules can be shown by the method of Hiss.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis | James Campbell ToddTo these succeed small round capsules, inside of which are three small chambers containing a great number of light red seeds.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce | E. R. Billings.
British Dictionary definitions for capsule
/ (ˈkæpsjuːl) /
a soluble case of gelatine enclosing a dose of medicine
a thin metal cap, seal, or cover, such as the foil covering the cork of a wine bottle
botany
a dry fruit that liberates its seeds by splitting, as in the violet, or through pores, as in the poppy
the spore-producing organ of mosses and liverworts
bacteriol a gelatinous layer of polysaccharide or protein surrounding the cell wall of some bacteria: thought to be responsible for the virulence in pathogens
anatomy
a cartilaginous, fibrous, or membranous envelope surrounding any of certain organs or parts
a broad band of white fibres (internal capsule) near the thalamus in each cerebral hemisphere
See space capsule
an aeroplane cockpit that can be ejected in a flight emergency, complete with crew, instruments, etc
(modifier) in a highly concise form: a capsule summary
(modifier) (in the fashion industry) consisting of a few important representative items: a capsule collection
Origin of capsule
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for capsule
[ kăp′səl, -sōōl ]
A dry dehiscent fruit that develops from two or more carpels, as in the poppy and the cottonwood tree.
The sporangium (the hollow spore-producing structure) of mosses and other bryophytes.
The outer layer of viscous polysaccharide or polypeptide slime with which some bacteria cover their cell walls. Capsules provide defense against phagocytes and prevent the bacteria from drying out.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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