cape

See also: Cape, capé, cápe, çapë, and čape

English

Cape Cod.

Pronunciation

• enPR: kāp, IPA^(key): /keɪp/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɪp

Etymology 1

From Middle English cape, gappe, cap, from Old French cap (“cape, headland”), from Latin caput (“head”). Doublet of capo, caput, chef, and chief, and distantly with head and Howth. For sense development, compare English ness (“a promontory point, cape”) from a root related to nose.

Noun

cape (plural capes)

1. (geography) A piece or point of land, extending beyond the adjacent coast into a sea or lake; a promontory; a headland.

   Synonyms: chersonese, ness, peninsula, point

Derived terms

• Cape Ann
• Cape Breton
• Cape Clear Island
• Cape Coast
• Cape Cod
• Cape Comorin
• Cape D'Aguilar
• Cape fox (Vulpes chama)
• Cape Girardeau
• Cape Hatteras
• Cape Kennedy
• Cape May
• Cape of Good Hope
• Cape Peninsula
• Cape Point
• cape-pondweed
• Cape Prince of Wales
• Cape Ray
• cape seahorse
• Capesize
• capesized
• Cape Tribulation
• Cape Verde
• Cape Winelands
• North Cape
• Starostin Cape

 

Translations

headland

• Afrikaans: kaap (af)
• Albanian: kepi
• Arabic: رَأْس (ar) m (raʔs)

  Egyptian Arabic: راس (rās)

  Hijazi Arabic: راس (rās)

• Armenian: հրվանդան (hy) (hrvandan)
• Bashkir: морон (moron)
• Basque: lurmutur
• Bau Bidayuh: tonyung
• Belarusian: мыс m (mys)
• Breton: kab (br) m
• Bulgarian: нос (bg) m (nos)
• Burmese: အငူ (my) (a.ngu)
• Catalan: cap (ca) m
• Central Melanau: tajuong, tujoh
• Chinese:

  Hokkien: 海鼻 (hái-phīⁿ)

  Mandarin: 角 (zh) (jiǎo), 海角 (zh) (hǎijiǎo), 海岬 (zh) (hǎijiǎ), 陆岬 (lùjiǎ)

• Czech: mys (cs) m
• Danish: kap (da) n
• Dutch: kaap (nl)
• Esperanto: kabo
• Estonian: neem
• Farefare: kaap
• Faroese: oddi m
• Finnish: niemi (fi), niemeke
• French: cap (fr) m
• Friulian: cjâf m
• Georgian: კონცხი (ḳoncxi)
• German: Kap (de) n
• Greek: ακρωτήρι (el) (akrotíri)

  Ancient: ἄκρον n (ákron)

• Greenlandic: nuuk
• Haitian Creole: kap
• Hawaiian: lae
• Hebrew: כֵּף (he) m (kef)
• Hungarian: fok (hu)
• Icelandic: höfði m, tangi m, nes (is) n
• Indonesian: tanjung (id)
• Ingrian: neemi, nenä
• Iranun: tandu'
• Irish: rinn f, ceann tíre m
• Italian: capo (it) m
• Japanese: 岬 (ja) (みさき, misaki), 崎 (ja) (saki), 鼻 (ja) (hana)
• Kazakh: мүйіс (müiıs)
• Korean: 곶 (ko) (got), 갑(岬) (ko) (gap)
• Latin: promunturium n, promontorium n
• Latvian: zemesrags m
• Lithuanian: kyšulys m
• Macedonian: 'рт m ('rt), нос (mk) m (nos)
• Malagasy: tanjona (mg)
• Malay: tanjung (ms), tanah penganjur
• Maltese: ras (mt)
• Maori: kūrae
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: kapp n

  Nynorsk: kapp n

• Old Norse: tangi
• Ottoman Turkish: بورون (burun)
• Papiamentu: kaap (dated)
• Polish: przylądek (pl) m, cypel (pl) m
• Portuguese: cabo (pt) m
• Romanian: cap (ro) n, promontoriu (ro) n
• Russian: мыс (ru) m (mys), нос (ru) (nos)
• Scottish Gaelic: ceap m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: рт m

  Roman: rt (sh) m

• Slovak: mys m
• Slovene: rt (sl) m
• Spanish: cabo (es) m
• Swahili: rasi (sw)
• Swedish: kap (sv) n
• Tagalog: tangos, lungos (tl)
• Thai: แหลม (th) (lɛ̌ɛm)
• Turkish: burun (tr)
• Ukrainian: мис (uk) m (mys)
• Vietnamese: mũi (vi) (㙁), mũi đất (vi)
• Welsh: penrhyn (cy) m, pentir m
• West Coast Bajau: torong

Etymology 2

LTR: short crocheted cape; Batman's long, hooded cape; a long, thick Inverness cape.

From French cape, from Old Occitan capa, from Late Latin cappa (“cape”). The second sense ("superhero") is metonymic from the fact that many superheroes wear capes. Likewise, the verb sense "defend, praise" alludes to the stereotypical depiction of superheroes wearing capes when they come to people's defense. (Compare caped crusader.) Doublet of capa and cappa.

Noun

cape (plural capes)

1. A sleeveless garment or part of a garment, hanging from the neck over the back, arms, and shoulders.
   • 1977, Agatha Christie, chapter 4, in An Autobiography, part II, London: Collins, →ISBN:

     Mind you, clothes were clothes in those days. […]  Frills, ruffles, flounces, lace, complicated seams and gores: not only did they sweep the ground and have to be held up in one hand elegantly as you walked along, but they had little capes or coats or feather boas.

2. (slang) A superhero.
   • 2017, April Daniels, Dreadnought: Nemesis - Book One, Diversion Books, →ISBN:

     Rows and rows of booths and pavilions stretch across the floor, draped with glowing holograms and shifting signs beckoning capes to try their wares. Bystander insurance. Hypertech components. Mystical ingredients. Training DVDs ...

Translations

garment

• Bulgarian: пелерина (bg) f (pelerina)
• Catalan: capa (ca) f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 斗篷 (zh) (dǒupeng), 披肩 (zh) (pījiān), 披風／披风 (zh) (pīfēng)

• Danish: kappe c
• Dutch: mantel (nl)
• Esperanto: mantelo
• Estonian: peleriin keep (et)
• Finnish: viitta (fi)
• French: cape (fr) f
• Galician: mantelo m
• German: Cape (de) n
• Greek: κάπα (el) f (kápa), μπέρτα (el) f (bérta)
• Hungarian: köpeny (hu)
• Irish: clóca m
• Italian: cappa (it) f, mantellina f
• Japanese: ケープ (kēpu)
• Korean: 망토 (ko) (mangto)
• Latin: cappa (la) f
• Macedonian: наметка f (nametka)
• Maori: tūpuni, katekate
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: cape (no) m

  Nynorsk: cape m

• Persian: شنل (fa) (šenel)
• Polish: peleryna (pl) f
• Portuguese: capa (pt) f
• Romanian: capă (ro) f
• Russian: наки́дка (ru) f (nakídka), пелери́на (ru) f (pelerína)
• Scottish Gaelic: cleòc m
• Spanish: capa (es) f, capote (es) m (with sleaves), capeta f (doesn't pass the knee), capotillo m (reaches the waist), capisayo m
• Swedish: cape (sv) c, slängkappa (sv) c
• Turkish: pelerin (tr)
• Walloon: capote (wa) f (for men, especially soldiers, against rain), chabrake (wa) f (woolen, for women)
• Welsh: cêp f

Usage notes

• Some authors distinguish capes from cloaks, especially by saying capes are shorter or sometimes that cloaks have hoods (cowls) or are of thicker material for dealing with cold or wet weather, but the terms are generally interchanged. For example, the traditional Inverness cape is thick for inclement weather and reaches to the calf, James Robinson Planché's 1879 Cyclopaedia of Costume or Dictionary of Dress includes some capes with hoods, and Batman's cape has a cowl today and, like Dracula's and Superman's capes, typically reaches to the calf if not to the ground.

Derived terms

• Batcape
• batcape
• capekino
• capeless
• capelet
• capelike
• capeshit
• capewise
• flag cape
• Inverness cape
• minicape
• raincape
• uncape

 

Descendants

• → Dutch: cape
• → German: Cape
  • → Estonian: keep
• → Japanese: ケープ (kēpu)
• → Norwegian: cape
• → Swedish: cape
• → Welsh: cêp

See also

• cloak

Verb

cape (third-person singular simple present capes, present participle caping, simple past and past participle caped)

1. To incite or attract (a bull) to charge a certain direction, by waving a cape.
   • 2013, Odie Hawkins, The Black Matador, "Sugar", AuthorHouse, →ISBN, page 140:

     “I became a novillero when I was fourteen, but I had already been going to the fields and caping bulls since I was about twelve."

2. (nautical) To head or point; to keep a course.

   The ship capes southwest by south.

3. To skin an animal, particularly a deer.
4. (US, slang, chiefly with "for") To defend or praise, especially that which is unworthy.
   • 2016, Ken Makin, “Clinton-Trump debacle underscores gross misunderstanding of politics”, in Urban Pro Weekly, 6 October - 12 October 2016, page 5:

     A lot of African-Americans believe the answer is Clinton, mostly because "she's not Trump" and because President Barack Obama is shamelessly caping for her.

   • 2017, Laila Nur, quoted in Jordan Green, "Far-right groups converge behind anti-sharia message in Raleigh", Triad City Beat, 14 June - 20 June 2017, page 9:

     Many times, you see white supremacist groups caping for women to mask their agenda of white nationalism.

   • 2017, Mindy Isser [organizer], quoted by Aubrey Whelan [journalist] in "For Philly's socialists, election wins signal momentum", The Philadelphia Inquirer, 15 November 2017:

     "I can't believe I'm out here caping for a politician."

   • 2019 April 3, Julian Lutz, “Elizabeth Warren has authenticity”, in The Hawk, Saint Joseph's University, page 8:

     […] Biden is the old man who once caped for systematic racism; […]

   • For more quotations using this term, see Citations:cape.
5. (transitive) To cover (as) with or like a cape.
   • 1988, Susan Lowell, Ganado Red: A Novella and Stories, Milkweed Editions, →ISBN, page 86:

     The white fur that caped his neck and shoulders stood on end.

   • 1991, Terri Valentine, Outlaw’s Kiss, Zebra Books, →ISBN, page 329:

     He shook her gently, combing his fingers through her coppery curls that caped her shoulders like filigree.

   • 1995, Jim Schutze, By Two and Two: The Scandalous Story of Twin Sisters Accused of a Shocking Crime of Passion, New York, N.Y.: William Morrow and Company, Inc., →ISBN, page 62:

     He caped the children and draped them in long wraps, wigs, and swords, and then they all went off down the hall, around the house, and into the yard, Jack singing in his high little voice, “Let’s go off adventuring, adventuring, adventuring!”

   • 2014, Kate Meader, Hot and Bothered, Forever, Grand Central Publishing, →ISBN:

     Out of the corner of his eye, he saw blatant relief sketched on her face as the jacket caped her body.

Anagrams

• EPAC, EPCA, EAPC, PECA, Pace, Apec, PACE, pace, APEC

Czech

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈt͡sapɛ]

Verb

cape

1. third-person singular present of capat

   Synonym: capá

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English cape.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /keːp/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: cape
• Rhymes: -eːp

Noun

cape m (plural capes, diminutive capeje n)

1. a cape

   Synonym: mantel

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Old Occitan capa, from Late Latin cappa (compare the inherited doublet chape; cf. also the Old Northern French variant cape).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kap/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Homophones: capent, capes

Noun

cape f (plural capes)

1. cape

Derived terms

• de cape et d’épée
• rire sous cape

Descendants

• → English: cape (see there for further descendants)
• → Romanian: capă

Verb

cape

1. inflection of caper:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Further reading

• “cape”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Galician

Verb

cape

1. inflection of capar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Indonesian

Adjective

cape

1. (colloquial, slang) alternative spelling of capek

Italian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈka.pe/
• Rhymes: -ape
• Hyphenation: cà‧pe

Noun

cape f

1. plural of capa

Anagrams

• Pace, pace

Latin

Verb

cape

1. second-person singular present active imperative of capiō

References

• cape in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition with additions by D. P. Carpenterius, Adelungius and others, edited by Léopold Favre, 1883–1887)

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

cape

1. Alternative form of cappe

Etymology 2

Noun

cape

1. Alternative form of cope

Neapolitan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkapə/

Noun

cape f

1. plural of capa

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From English cape, from French cape, from Late Latin cappa. Cognate with kappe (“cloak”), kåpe (“cloak”), kapp (“cape, headland”).

Noun

cape m (definite singular capen, indefinite plural caper, definite plural capene)

1. a cape (sleeveless garment worn by women, which covers the shoulders and arms)

References

• “cape” in The Bokmål Dictionary.
• “cape” in The Ordnett Dictionary

Norwegian Nynorsk

Etymology

From English cape, from French cape, from Late Latin cappa.

Noun

cape m (definite singular capen, indefinite plural capar, definite plural capane)

1. a cape (sleeveless garment worn by women, which covers the shoulders and arms)

References

• “cape” in The Nynorsk Dictionary.

Portuguese

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈka.pi/

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈka.pi/
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈka.pe/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈka.pɨ/

• Hyphenation: ca‧pe
• Rhymes: -api, -apɨ

Verb

cape

1. inflection of capar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Rukai

Noun

cape

1. seed (of a fruit)

Spanish

Verb

cape

1. inflection of capar:
   1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive
   2. third-person singular imperative

Swedish

Etymology

Borrowed from English cape. Doublet of kappa, kåpa, kapott, kapucin, and kapuschong.

Noun

cape c

1. cape (sleeveless garment used by women)

Declension

Declension of cape

		nominative	genitive
singular	indefinite	cape	capes
	definite	capen	capens
plural	indefinite	caper	capers
	definite	caperna	capernas

Further reading

• cape in Svenska Akademiens ordböcker