Definition of "capsule" []

• A small soluble container, usually made of gelatin, that encloses a dose of an oral medicine or a vitamin. (noun)
• Anatomy A fibrous, membranous, or fatty sheath that encloses an organ or part, such as the sac surrounding the kidney or the fibrous tissues that surround a joint. (noun)
• Microbiology A mucopolysaccharide outer shell enveloping certain bacteria. (noun)
• Botany A dry dehiscent fruit that develops from two or more united carpels. (noun)
• Botany The thin-walled, spore-containing structure of mosses and related plants. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "SCOTT SIMON, host: Now, different kind of time capsule - Chad Matheny, a Los Angeles-based musician who records under the name Emperor X, his capsule is a cassette of his music and he buries it in the ground, then tells his fans to find it."
• "I believe a capsule is the most cost effect means of access to LEO."
• "The little picture of the capsule is actually 'in the background' and not threatened by the visually impressive falling debris."