Definition of: capsule

(kap′səl, -syl) noun
1. Bot. a A dry dehiscent seed vessel made up of more than one carpel, as of a pink or a lily, b The spore case of a moss or other cryptogam.
2. Med. A small gelatinous case for containing a dose of a drug.
3. Biol. A capsulelike organ, membrane, or structure: the suprarenal capsule.
4. The cargo or passenger container of a space rocket.
5. A metallic shell, cap, or seal, as of a cartridge or percussion cap.
—v.t.
1. To furnish with or enclose in or as in a capsule.
2. To summarize.
—adjective Small and compact; condensed; brief. [<F <L capsula, dim. of capsa box]
—cap·su·lar (kap′sə·lər, -sy-) adjective