capsule

Etymology

Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”).

noun

1. (physiology) A membranous envelope.
2. (botany) A type of simple, dehiscent, dry fruit (seed-case) produced by many species of flowering plants, such as poppy, lily, orchid, willow and cotton.
3. (botany) A sporangium, especially in bryophytes.
4. (anatomy) A tough, fibrous layer surrounding an organ such as the kidney or liver
5. (anatomy) A membrane that surrounds the eyeball
6. (astronautics) A detachable part of a rocket or spacecraft (usually in the nose) containing the crew's living space.
7. (pharmacy) A small container containing a dose of medicine.
8. (attributively, figurative) in 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. (winemaking) The covering — formerly lead or tin, now often plastic — over the cork at the top of the wine bottle.
10. (chemistry, dated) A 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.

verb

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