capsule

plural capsules

1. medicineA membranous envelope.
2. biologyA type of simple, dehiscent, dry fruit (seed-case) produced by many species of flowering plants, such as poppy, lily, orchid, willow and cotton.
3. biologyA sporangium, especially in bryophytes.

   The epidermal cells of the capsule wall of Jubulopsis, with nodose "trigones" at the angles, are very reminiscent of what one finds in Frullania spp.

   1992, Rudolf M[athias] Schuster, The Hepaticae and Anthocerotae of North America: East of the Hundredth Meridian, volume V, Chicago, Ill.: Field Museum of Natural History, →ISBN, pages 4-5

4. anatomyA tough, fibrous layer surrounding an organ such as the kidney or liver.
5. anatomyA membrane that surrounds the eyeball.
6. space flightA detachable part of a rocket or spacecraft (usually in the nose) containing the crew's living space.
7. pharmacyA small container containing a dose of medicine.
8. attributivefigurativelyIn a brief, condensed or compact form.

   If this capsule history of our progress teaches us anything, it is that man, in his quest for knowledge and progress, is determined and cannot be deterred.

   1962, John F. Kennedy, We choose to go to the moon

9. beveragesThe covering — formerly lead or tin, now often plastic — over the cork at the top of the wine bottle.
10. datedchemistryA small clay saucer for roasting or melting samples of ores, etc.; a scorifier.
11. A small, shallow evaporating dish, usually of porcelain.
12. A small cup or shell, often of metal, for a percussion cap, cartridge, etc.
13. One of the very small rooms for guests in a capsule hotel.

    Synonyms: pod

present singular third person capsules · participle present capsuling · participle past capsuled · past capsuled

1. transitiveTo form (medicine, etc.) into capsules.
2. transitiveTo encapsulate or summarize.