capitation

C3A1P3I1T1A1T1I1O1N1
/kapɪˈteɪʃən/

noun

Performing a headcount; the counting of people.

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UncommonScrabble 14

Meanings

nouncapitation (countable and uncountable, plural capitations)

plural capitations

  1. countableuncountablePerforming a headcount; the counting of people.
  2. countableuncountableA head tax.

    Synonyms: poll tax

  3. countableuncountableA system of remuneration for providers of health care, in which providers enroll patients as permanent clients and receive a fixed (and capped) periodic payment for each enrollee (i.e., per capita).
    1 more example

    Capitation started out as a popular method for reimbursing primary care physicians/gatekeepers. Now capitated contracts can be seen in every area of healthcare... ... because of varying volumes, not all specialty care providers should be capitated at the same time. For example, higher volume services (e.g., laboratory, radiology, orthopedics, and cardiology) are usually first to be capitated. Specialists and other medical services that are used infrequently (e.g., neonatologists, neurosurgeons) or "high ticket" specialists (e.g., open heart surgeons) are usually capitated last, if at all. The cost of their services is relatively high and a miscalculation in projected membership or actual utilization can have a large financial impact.

    1996 The Capitation Sourcebook: a practical guide to managing at-risk arrangements ed. Peter Boland ISBN: 0-9652717-0-6
  4. IndiacountableeuphemisticuncountableA donation made to an educational institution to obtain admission.

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA head tax.

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Origin

  1. Latincapitātiōnem
  2. Englishcapitation

Learned borrowing from Latin capitātiōnem, from caput (“head”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Finnish henkilömäärän laskeminen, luvun ottaminen
  • henkilömäärän laskeminenperforming headcount
  • luvun ottaminenperforming headcount
  • kapitaatiosystem of remunerating health care providers
Indonesian kapitasi
  • kapitasisystem of remunerating health care providers
Spanish conteo
  • conteoperforming headcount

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

capitation. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/capitation

MLA

“capitation.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/capitation. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “capitation,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/capitation.

Source: capitation on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.