Syn. -- Freak; whim; crotchet; fancy; vagary; humor; whimsey; fickleness.
Ca*pri"cious (k&adot;*pr&ibreve;sh"ŭs), a. [Cf. F. capricieux, It. capriccioso.] Governed or characterized by caprice; apt to change suddenly; freakish; whimsical; changeable. "Capricious poet." Shak. "Capricious humor." Hugh Miller.
A capricious partiality to the Romish practices.
Hallam.
Syn. -- Freakish; whimsical; fanciful; fickle; crotchety; fitful; wayward; changeable; unsteady; uncertain; inconstant; arbitrary.
-- Ca*pri"cious*ly, adv. -- Ca*pri"cious*ness, n.
Cap"ri*corn (?), n. [L. capricornus; caper goat + cornu horn: cf. F. capricorne.] 1. (Astron.) The tenth sign of zodiac, into which the sun enters at the winter solstice, about December 21. See Tropic.
The sun was entered into Capricorn.
Dryden.
2. (Astron.) A southern constellation, represented on ancient monuments by the figure of a goat, or a figure with its fore part like a fish.
Capricorn beetle (Zo÷l.), any beetle of the family CarambucidŠ; one of the long-horned beetles. The larvŠ usually bore into the wood or bark of trees and shrubs and are often destructive. See Girdler, Pruner.
Cap"rid (?), a. [L. caper, capra, goat.] (Zo÷l.) Of or pertaining to the tribe of ruminants of which the goat, or genus Capra, is the type.
Cap`ri*fi*ca"tion (?), n. [L. caprificatio, fr. caprificare to ripen figs by caprification, fr. caprificus the wild fig; caper goat + ficus fig.] The practice of hanging, upon the cultivated fig tree, branches of the wild fig infested with minute hymenopterous insects.
&fist; It is supposed that the little insects insure fertilization by carrying the pollen from the male flowers near the opening of the fig down to the female flowers, and also accelerate ripening the fruit by puncturing it. The practice has existed since ancient times, but its benefit has been disputed.
Cap"ri*fole (?), n. [L. caper goat + folium leaf.] The woodbine or honeysuckle. Spenser.
Cap"ri*fo`li*a`ceous (?), a. Of, pertaining to, or resembling, the Honeysuckle family of plants (CaprifoliacŠ.
Cap"ri*form (?), a. [L. caper goat + -form.] Having the form of a goat.
Ca*prig"e*nous (?), a. [L. caprigenus; caper goat + gegnere to produce.] Of the goat kind.
Cap"rine (?), a. [L. caprinus.] Of or pertaining to a goat; as, caprine gambols.
Cap"ri*ole (?), n. [F. capriole, cabriole, It. capriola, fr. L. caper goat. Cf. Caper, v. i. Cabriole, Caprice, Cheveril.] 1. (Man.) A leap that a horse makes with all fours, upwards only, without advancing, but with a kick or jerk of the hind legs when at the height of the leap.
2. A leap or caper, as in dancing. "With lofty turns and caprioles." Sir J. Davies.
Cap"ri*ole, v. i. To perform a capriole. Carlyle.
Cap"ri*ped (?), a. [L. capripers; caper goat + pes pedis, foot.] Having feet like those of a goat.
Cap"ro*ate (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of caproic acid.
Ca*pro"ic (?), a. (Chem.) See under Capric.
Cap"ry*late (?), n. (Chem.) A salt of caprylic acid.
Ca*pryl"ic (?), a. (Chem.) See under Capric.
Cap*sa"i*cin (?), n. [From Capsicum.] (Chem.) A colorless crystalline substance extracted from the Capsicum annuum, and giving off vapors of intense acridity.
Cap"sheaf` (?), n. The top sheaf of a stack of grain: (fig.) the crowning or finishing part of a thing.
Cap"si*cin (?), n. [From Capsicum.] (Chem.) A red liquid or soft resin extracted from various species of capsicum.
Cap"si*cine (?), n. [From Capsicum.] (Chem.) A volatile alkaloid extracted from Capsicum annuum or from capsicin.
Cap"si*cum (kăp"s&ibreve;*kŭm), n. [NL., fr. L. capsa box, chest.] (Bot.) A genus of plants of many species, producing capsules or dry berries of various forms, which have an exceedingly pungent, biting taste, and when ground form the red or Cayenne pepper of commerce.
[1913 Webster]
&fist; The most important species are Capsicum baccatum or bird pepper, C. fastigiatum or chili pepper, C. frutescens or spur pepper, and C. annuum or Guinea pepper, which includes the bell pepper and other common garden varieties. The fruit is much used, both in its green and ripe state, in pickles and in cookery. See Cayenne pepper.
[1913 Webster]
Cap*size" (?), v. t. & i. [imp. & p. p. Capsized (#); p. pr. & vb. n. Capsizing.] [Cf. Sp. cabecear to nod, pitch, capuzar, chapuzar, to sink (a vessel) by the head; both fr. L. caput head.] To upset or overturn, as a vessel or other body.
But what if carrying sail capsize the boat?
Byron.
Cap"size` (?), n. An upset or overturn.
Cap"*square (?), n. (Gun.) A metal covering plate which passes over the trunnions of a cannon, and holds it in place.
Cap"stan (?), n. [F. cabestan, fr. Sp. cabestrante, cabrestante, fr. cabestrar to bind with a halter, fr. cabestrohalter, fr. L. capistrum halter, fr. capere to hold (see Capacious); or perh. the Spanish is fr. L. caper goat + stans, p. pr. of stare to stand; cf. F. chŔvre she-goat, also a machine for raising heavy weights.] A vertical cleated drum or cylinder, revolving on an upright spindle, and surmounted by a drumhead with sockets for bars or levers. It is much used, especially on shipboard, for moving or raising heavy weights or exerting great power by traction upon a rope or cable, passing around the drum. It is operated either by steam power or by a number of men walking around the capstan, each pushing on the end of a lever fixed in its socket. [Sometimes spelt Capstern, but improperly.]
Capstan bar, one of the long bars or levers by which the capstan is worked; a handspike.. -- To pawl the capstan, to drop the pawls so that they will catch in the notches of the pawl ring, and prevent the capstan from turning back. -- To rig the capstan, to prepare the for use, by putting the bars in the sockets. -- To surge the capstan, to slack the tension of the rope or cable wound around it.
Cap"stone` (?), n. (Paleon.) A fossil echinus of the genus Cannulus; -- so called from its supposed resemblance to a cap.
{ Cap"su*lar (?), Cap"su*la*ry (?), } a. [Cf. F. capsulaire.] Of or pertaining to a capsule; having the nature of a capsule; hollow and fibrous.
Capsular ligament (Anat.), a ligamentous bag or capsule surrounding many movable joints in the skeleton.
{ Cap"su*late (?), Cap"su*la`ted (?), } a. Inclosed in a capsule, or as in a chest or box.
Cap"sule (?), n. [L. capsula a little box or chest, fr. capsa chest, case, fr. capere to take, contain: cf. F. capsule.] 1. (Bot.) a dry fruit or pod which is made up of several parts or carpels, and opens to discharge the seeds, as, the capsule of the poppy, the flax, the lily, etc.
2. (Chem.) (a) A small saucer of clay for roasting or melting samples of ores, etc.; a scorifier. (b) a small, shallow, evaporating dish, usually of porcelain.
3. (Med.) A small cylindrical or spherical gelatinous envelope in which nauseous or acrid doses are inclosed to be swallowed.
4. (Anat.) A membranous sac containing fluid, or investing an organ or joint; as, the capsule of the lens of the eye. Also, a capsulelike organ.