caporal

¹ American  

[kap-er-uhl, kap-uh-ral] / ˈkæp ər əl, ˌkæp əˈræl /

noun

1. a variety of tobacco.

---

caporal ² American  

[kap-uh-ral] / ˈkæp əˌræl /

noun

Southwestern U.S.

1. an overseer, especially of a cattle ranch.

---

caporal British  

/ ˌkæpəˈrɑːl /

noun

1. a strong coarse dark tobacco

---

Etymology

Origin of caporal¹

1840–50; short for French tabac du caporal tobacco of the corporal ²

Origin of caporal²

1590–1600; < Spanish: chief, manager < Italian; see corporal ²

Example Sentences

He took up his porcelain pipe and filled it from the blue packet of caporal that lay on the table with the oilskin cover.

From The Belovéd Vagabond by Locke, William John

"I am the caporal in charge of the dépôt of the engineers in the cellar," continued my visitor, "and I thought I'd come in and see how you were."

From A Volunteer Poilu by Beston, Henry

And he took a caporal from the packet before him and slowly lit it.

From The White Lie by Le Queux, William

He had been personally noticed by 'Le p'tit caporal.'

From Tracks of a Rolling Stone by Coke, Henry J. (Henry John)

A few were honored with a clip by the artist hand of the petit caporal of our Engineer Company.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 07, No. 44, June, 1861 Creator by Various