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

See Examples For:

caporal

"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 Henry Beston

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 Alec Ball

They were heroes, nevertheless; and, I suppose, une fois caporal, toujours caporal.

From Elinor Wyllys, Volume 1 by Susan Fenimore Cooper

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 John Augustus O'Shea

With arms folded and head bent, he looked more le gros caporal than ever.

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

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

---