cape Meaning & Definition
What Does Cape Mean?
As a noun, cape means A piece or point of land, extending beyond the adjacent coast into a sea or lake; a promontory; a headland. As a verb, it means To incite or attract (a bull) to charge a certain direction, by waving a cape. As a verb, it means To skin an animal, particularly a deer.
Word Facts for Cape
| Part of speech | noun, verb |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /keɪp/ |
| Synonyms | ness and mantle |
| Plural | capes |
| Verb forms | capes, caping, caped |
Cape Definition (Noun)
- A piece or point of land, extending beyond the adjacent coast into a sea or lake; a promontory; a headland.
Noun
- A sleeveless garment or part of a garment, hanging from the neck over the back, arms, and shoulders.
- A superhero.
Cape as a Verb
- To incite or attract (a bull) to charge a certain direction, by waving a cape.
- To head or point; to keep a course.
The ship capes southwest by south.
- To skin (an animal, or particularly the head and shoulders of an animal, especially a deer), for taxidermy.
- To defend or praise, especially that which is unworthy.
- To cover (as) with or like a cape.
Verb
- To skin an animal, particularly a deer.
Verb
- To look for, search after.
Long may they search ere that they find that they after cape.
- To gaze or stare.
The captain just caped mindlessly into the distance as his ship was hit by volley after volley.
Synonyms of Cape
Cape synonyms and antonyms →Cape in a Sentence
The ship capes southwest by south.
Long may they search ere that they find that they after cape.
The captain just caped mindlessly into the distance as his ship was hit by volley after volley.
Word Forms & Grammar
cape (plural capes)
cape (third-person singular simple present capes, present participle caping, simple past and past participle caped)
Words That Rhyme With Cape
Origin of Cape
Origin 1: From Middle English cape, gappe, cap, from Old French cap (“cape, headland”), from Latin caput (“head”). Compare Old Norse kobbi (“islet, small cape”).
Origin 2: Doublet of capo, caput, chef, and chief, and distantly with head and Howth.
Origin 3: For sense development, compare English ness (“a promontory point, cape”) from a root related to nose, Bulgarian нос (nos) (the same PIE root). Also compare coast (<< Latin costa).
Origin 4: 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.
Quick Answers About Cape
Is cape a noun or a verb?
Cape is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as a verb.
What is another word for cape?
Words with a similar meaning to cape include ness and mantle. See the full list of cape synonyms and antonyms.
What is the plural of cape?
The plural of cape is capes.
What is the past tense of cape?
The past tense of cape is caped. The present participle is caping.