encapsulation

American  

[en-kap-suh-ley-shuhn, -syoo-] / ɛnˌkæp səˈleɪ ʃən, -syʊ- /

noun

1. the act or process of placing or containing something within or as if within a capsule.

   Abatement of lead contamination includes strategies such as paint removal and encapsulation, or permanently covering the contaminated soil.

   This software protocol is used for encapsulation of various higher-level protocols.

2. the act or process of summarizing or condensing information.

   Like a headline writer, I was looking for a brief encapsulation of certain salient facts.

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Etymology

Origin of encapsulation

encapsul(ate) ( def. ) + -ation ( def. )

Example Sentences

The result is more of a strung-out patchwork than a theatrical encapsulation of Prokofiev’s 3-act, more than 2-hour score.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 9, 2026

Reggaeton is the perfect encapsulation of how real artists embrace difference, drawing inspiration from diversity that exposes them to sounds, visions and ideas they’ve never experienced before.

From Salon • Oct. 15, 2025

Some parents will get the placenta dehydrated and turned into vitamin-style tablets through a process called encapsulation.

From BBC • Aug. 4, 2025

“We’ve never even met, but I love her—and the way we have tag-teamed this as strangers is really an encapsulation of what I love about women.”

From Slate • Dec. 5, 2024

A blood cyst or hæmatoma results from the encapsulation of extravasated blood in the tissues, from hæmorrhage taking place into a preformed cyst, or from the saccular pouching of a varicose vein.

From Manual of Surgery Volume First: General Surgery. Sixth Edition. by Thomson, Alexis