caporal

¹ American  

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

noun

1. a variety of tobacco.

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caporal ² American  

[kap-uh-ral] / ˈkæp əˌræl /

noun

Southwestern U.S.

1. an overseer, especially of a cattle ranch.

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caporal British  

/ ˌkæpəˈrɑːl /

noun

1. a strong coarse dark tobacco

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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

See Examples For:

caporal

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

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

Only they do not look like it always, carelessly chatting behind their modest glasses of beer, often from amid the clouds of incense floating from cheap cigars, or the equally economic caporal tobacco.

From Mated from the Morgue A tale of the Second Empire by O'Shea, John Augustus

"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

Though he was a brutal leader, they were ready to follow him anywhere, and had been known to call him le gros caporal, so strong and obvious was this likeness.

From Angelot A Story of the First Empire by Price, Eleanor C. (Eleanor Catherine)

He entered the shop and emerged, not with caporal and cigarette-papers, but with the twelve Honduras stamps.

From The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol by Ball, Alec