cap

Etymology 1

From Middle English cappe, from Old English cæppe, from Late Latin cappa. Doublet of cape, chape, and cope.

noun

1. A close-fitting hat, either brimless or peaked.
   The children were all wearing caps to protect them from the sun.
2. A special hat to indicate rank, occupation, etc.
3. An academic mortarboard.
4. A protective cover or seal.
   He took the cap off the bottle and splashed himself with some cologne.
5. A crown for covering a tooth.
   He had golden caps on his teeth.
6. The summit of a mountain, etc.
   There was snow on the cap of the mountain.
7. An artificial upper limit or ceiling.
   We should put a cap on the salaries, to keep them under control.
   The G7 countries have agreed to impose a price cap on Russian oil in an attempt to stem the flow of funds into the Kremlin’s war coffers. […] The level of the cap is still being discussed. 2022-09-02, Alex Lawson, “G7 countries agree plan to impose price cap on Russian oil”, in The Guardian
8. The top part of a mushroom.
9. (toy) A small amount of percussive explosive in a paper strip or plastic cup for use in a toy gun.
   Billy spent all morning firing caps with his friends, re-enacting storming the beach at Normandy.
10. A small explosive device used to detonate a larger charge of explosives.
    He wired the cap to the bundle of dynamite, then detonated it remotely.
11. (slang) A bullet used to shoot someone.
    Did he think they were going to put a cap in his ass right in the middle of Metreon? 2001, Charles Jade, Jade goes to Metreon
12. (slang, originally African-American Vernacular) A lie or exaggeration.
    no cap
    that's cap
13. (sports) A place on a national team; an international appearance.
    Rio Ferdinand won his 50th cap for England in a game against Sweden.
    Overall, though, England’s injury-diminished side coped well on the night when Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Jordan Pickford and Tammy Abraham all won their first caps. 10 November 2017, Daniel Taylor, “Youthful England earn draw with Germany but Lingard rues late miss”, in The Guardian (London)
14. (obsolete) The top, or uppermost part; the chief.
15. (obsolete) A respectful uncovering of the head.
    He that will give a cap and make a leg, in thanks for a favour he never received, deserveth rather to be blamed for want of wit, than to be praised for store of manners. 1655, Thomas Fuller, The Church History of Britain, from the Birth of Jesus Christ until the Year MDCXLVIII, volume 1, London: Thomas Tegg and Son, published 1837, page 9
16. (zoology) The whole top of the head of a bird from the base of the bill to the nape of the neck.
17. (architecture) The uppermost of any assemblage of parts.
    the cap of column, door, etc.; a capital, coping, cornice, lintel, or plate
18. Something covering the top or end of a thing for protection or ornament.
19. (nautical) A collar of iron or wood used in joining spars, as the mast and the topmast, the bowsprit and the jib boom; also, a covering of tarred canvas at the end of a rope.
20. (geometry) A portion of a spherical or other convex surface.
21. A large size of writing paper.
    flat cap; foolscap; legal cap

verb

1. (transitive) To cover or seal with a cap.
2. (transitive) To award a cap as a mark of distinction.
3. (transitive) To lie over or on top of something.
4. (transitive) To surpass or outdo.
5. (transitive) To set an upper limit on something.
   cap wages.
6. (transitive) To make something even more wonderful at the end.
   That really capped my day.
7. (transitive, cricket) To select a player to play for a specified side.
8. (transitive, slang) To shoot (someone) with a firearm.
   If he don't get outta my hood, I'm gonna cap his ass.
   In a school shooting, where some kid caps a bunch of other kids, where did he get the weapon? From a family member, probably their gun cabinet.
9. (intransitive, slang, originally African-American Vernacular) To lie; to tell a lie.
   "How? Didn't I cap for you, an' square you with the examinin' board? Didn't I stake you to the three hundred dollars?" 1906, Alfred Henry Lewis, “Confessions of a Detective”, in Confessions of a Detective, New York: A.S. Barnes & Company, page 36
   It's over for you capping-ass rappers—get out the game / You can fool the record labels, but not the streets, man 2003, Antwan Patton et al. (lyrics and music), “Tomb of the Boom”, in Speakerboxxx, performed by OutKast
10. (transitive, sports) To select to play for the national team.
    Peter Shilton is the most capped English footballer.
11. (transitive, obsolete) To salute by uncovering the head respectfully.
12. To deprive of a cap.
    As if one going to diſtrain upon his own Land or Tenement, where lawfully he may; yet if in doing thereof, he tranſgreſs the leaſt Point of the Common Law, he ſtraight committeth Felony. Or if one, by any other Occaſion, take any thing from another, as Boys uſe ſometimes to cap one another, the ſame is ſtraight Felony. 1596, Edmund Spenser, A View of the State of Ireland as It Was in the Reign of Queen Elizabeth, Dublin: Laurence Flin, published 1763, page 50

Etymology 2

From capitalization, by shortening.

noun

1. (finance) Capitalization.

Etymology 3

From capital, by shortening.

noun

1. (informal) An uppercase or capital letter.

verb

1. (transitive, informal) To convert text to uppercase.

Etymology 4

From capacitor, by shortening.

noun

1. (electronics) A capacitor.
   Parasitic caps.
   I had to replace the caps in that thing to get it to work again.

Etymology 5

Shortening of capture.

noun

1. (colloquial) A recording or screenshot.
   December 9, 1996, Fox [username], “Anyone has a cap of yesterday's irc-convention on undernet ?”, in alt.paranet.ufo (Usenet):
   If you have a cap of Gabby's bare butt from the "forget me not" episode please post or mail it... September 26, 1998, Mr Hanky [username]&#32;<meister_hanky@hotmail.com>, “req: does anyone have a cap of Gabby's behind from "Forget Me Not"”, in alt.tv.xena (Usenet), retrieved 2016-08-07
   Here's a cap of Jennifer from her latest Letterman appearance […] April 27, 1998, Johan [username], “Jennifer on Letterman”, in alt.fan.jen-aniston (Usenet), retrieved 2016-08-07
   Please be assured that when I do get around to capping the Brits, there will NOT be one single cap of that slutty bitch, her whorishness has dropped to even lower levels than before. March 4, 2000, RichieH [username], “Please somebody get a cap of Faye from steps at the Brits!!!!!!!!”, in alt.tv.shaggable.babes (Usenet)
   Anyone have a cap of the games last night?

verb

1. (transitive) To take a screenshot or to record a copy of a video.
   I've capped in VCD format, so will eventually post it to abme (I've since found out that it's a bit OT for this group) December 3, 2001, Methos [username], alt.fan.televisionx (Usenet)
   Please tell me someone capped it!!!! June 11, 2002, test . com Ground Hog [username], alt.luser.recovery (Usenet)
   If I had a method of capping from video tapes there's a movie that I can no longer remember the name of which has a single scene with Racquel and Derrick as a newly married couple having sex under the lustful eyes of Joey Silvera. February 18, 2003, jacuk [username], alt.fan.pornstar.darrian (Usenet)

Etymology 6

Clipping of capsule

noun

1. (slang) A capsule of a drug.
   Glass bottles of liquid LSD; moist blocks of Manali charras and Malana cream; sachets of smack; a hundred caps of MDMA and a phial of Australian DMT; ampoules of medical morphine and a dense pad of four thousand Californian blotters. 2012, Alex Wyndham Baker, Cursive

Etymology 7

Shortening of capitalist.

noun

1. (colloquial) A capitalist.

Etymology 8

Shortening of capillary.

noun

1. capillary

Etymology 9

Scots [Term?], probably from Old English copp (“a cup”).

noun

1. (obsolete) A wooden drinking-bowl with two handles.