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Capsules

 [kap-suhl, -sool, -syool]   Origin

cap·sule

   [kap-suhl, -sool, -syool] noun, verb, -suled, -sul·ing, adjective
noun
1.
Pharmacology. a gelatinous case enclosing a dose of medicine.
2.
Biology.
a.
a membranous sac or integument.
b.
either of two strata of white matter in the cerebrum.
c.
the sporangium of various spore-producing organisms, as ferns, mosses, algae, and fungi.
3.
Botany. a dry dehiscent fruit, composed of two or more carpels.
4.
a small case, envelope, or covering.
5.
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.
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6.
Aviation. a similar cabin in a military aircraft, which can be ejected from the aircraft in an emergency.
7.
a thin metal covering for the mouth of a corked bottle.
8.
a concise report; brief outline: An appendix to the book contains biographical capsules of the contributors.
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verb (used with object)
9.
to furnish with or enclose in or as if in a capsule; encapsulate.
10.
to capsulize.

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Capsules is always a great word to know.
So is flibbertigibbet. Does it mean:
a chattering or flighty, light-headed person.
a printed punctuation mark (‽), available only in some typefaces, designed to combine the question mark (?) and the exclamation point (!), indicating a mixture of query and interjection, as after a rhetorical question.
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adjective
11.
small and compact.
12.
short and concise; brief and summarized: a capsule report.
Origin:
1645–55; 1950–55 for def. 5; (< F) < Latin capsula, equivalent to caps(a) box (see case2) + -ula -ule

Related forms
un·cap·suled, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

capsule
1652, from Fr. capsule "a membranous sac," from L. capsula dim. of capsa "box, case, chest" (see case (2)). Medical sense is 1875; shortened form cap is from 1942. Sense in space capsule is first recorded 1954. Capsulize, of news, etc., is from 1950.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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American Heritage
Medical Dictionary

capsule cap·sule (kāp'səl, -s&oomacr;l)
n.

  1. A fibrous, membranous, or fatty sheath that encloses an organ or part, such as the sac surrounding the kidney or the fibrous tissues that surround a joint.

  2. A small soluble container, usually made of gelatin, that encloses a dose of an oral medicine or a vitamin.

  3. The thin-walled, spore-containing structure of mosses and related plants.

cap'su·lar (kāp'sə-lər, -sy&oobreve;-) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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American Heritage
Science Dictionary
capsule   (kāp'səl, -sl)  Pronunciation Key 

  1. A dry dehiscent fruit that develops from two or more carpels, as in the poppy and the cottonwood tree.

  2. The sporangium (the hollow spore-producing structure) of mosses and other bryophytes.

  3. 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 © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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