capsule
B1Neutral to formal; widely used in technical, medical, and general contexts.
Definition
Meaning
A small, sealed container, often cylindrical, designed to hold a specific substance (like medicine) or to enclose and protect something.
A concise summary or condensed form; a detachable compartment in a spacecraft; a dry fruit that splits open to release seeds (botany); a membrane or sac enclosing an organ or structure (anatomy).
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
The core sense relates to containment and protection. In extended uses, it emphasizes compactness (summary), separability (spacecraft module), natural packaging (botany), or anatomical enclosure.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical. 'Capsule' for medicine is standard in both. The botanical and anatomical senses are technical and identical.
Connotations
In both varieties, it can connote modernity, efficiency, and compactness (e.g., 'capsule wardrobe', 'time capsule').
Frequency
Slightly more frequent in American media regarding space exploration ('space capsule').
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
[verb] + capsule: swallow/take/insert a capsule[adjective] + capsule: gelatin/empty/sealed capsulecapsule + [verb]: capsule contains/holds/releasescapsule + [noun]: capsule form/design/technologyVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “In a nutshell (conceptual synonym for 'in capsule form')”
- “Sealed in time”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Used in marketing for 'capsule collection' (a small, seasonal fashion line) or 'capsule summary' of a report.
Academic
Common in biology (plant capsule), anatomy (renal capsule), pharmacology, and aerospace engineering.
Everyday
Primarily for medicine ('take a capsule') or metaphorically ('capsule wardrobe').
Technical
Precise terms like 'fermentation capsule', 'capsule endoscope', 'pressure capsule'.
Examples
By Part of Speech
noun
British English
- The paracetamol comes in a handy gel capsule.
- The documentary offered a neat capsule history of the conflict.
- The seed pod is a type of botanical capsule.
American English
- Take one capsule with water after meals.
- The Mars crew boarded the landing capsule.
- He published a capsule review of the new film series.
Examples
By CEFR Level
- I can't swallow this big capsule.
- We buried a time capsule in the garden.
- The medicine capsule is easy to open for children.
- The news gave a capsule summary of the main events.
- The renal capsule is a tough layer surrounding the kidney.
- The spacecraft's re-entry capsule separated successfully.
- Her seminal paper included a brilliant theoretical capsule that later spawned its own field of study.
- The pharmaceutical company developed a novel targeted drug-delivery capsule.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Imagine a CAPtain SULEiman sealing a precious message in a small, round CAPSULE and throwing it into the sea.
Conceptual Metaphor
CONTAINERS FOR IDEAS (a capsule summary), PROTECTIVE ENVELOPES (anatomical capsule), ISOLATED WORLDS (space capsule).
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- False friend: Russian 'капсула' is a direct cognate and accurate for most senses, but note 'pill' is often 'таблетка' (tablet) or 'пилюля', while 'capsule' specifically is 'капсула'.
- Avoid overtranslating 'capsule wardrobe' as 'гардеробная капсула'; it's a set phrase. Use 'базовый гардероб' or 'капсульный гардероб'.
Common Mistakes
- Pronouncing it as /kæpˈsuːl/ (stress on second syllable).
- Confusing 'capsule' (soft container) with 'tablet' (compressed powder).
- Using 'capsule' for any small room (except 'capsule hotel').
Practice
Quiz
In which context is 'capsule' LEAST likely to be used?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, while the primary meaning is physical (medicine, spacecraft), it is commonly used metaphorically for anything compact and self-contained, like a 'capsule summary'.
A 'pill' is a general term for a small mass of medicine. A 'capsule' is a specific type of pill where the medicine is inside a soluble gelatin or vegetable shell.
Yes, though less common. It means 'to enclose in or condense into a capsule'. (e.g., 'The event was capsuled in a memorable headline.').
A small, versatile collection of essential clothing items that can be mixed and matched to create many outfits, emphasizing minimalism and utility.