What does "cape" mean?
Cape: A piece or point of land, extending beyind the adjacent coast into the sea or a lake; a promonotory; a headland. Cape buffalo (Zoöl.) a large and powerful buffalo of South Africa (Bubalus Caffer). It is said to be the most dangerous wild beast of Africa. See Buffalo, 2. -- Cape jasmine, Cape jassamine. See Jasmine. -- Cape pigeon (Zoöl.), a petrel (Daptium Capense) common off the Cape of Good Hope. It is about the size of a pigeon. -- Cape wine, wine made in South Africa [Eng.] -- The Cape, the Cape of Good Hope, in the general sense of southern extremity of Africa. Also used of Cape Horn, and, in New England, of Cape Cod.
Additional senses
- 2.To head or point; to keep a course; as, the ship capes southwest by south.
- 3.A sleeveless garment or part of a garment, hanging from the neck over the back, arms, and shoulders, but not reaching below the hips. See Cloak.
- 4.To gape. [Obs.] Chaucer.
Sources
- Webster's Unabridged Dictionary, 1913 edition (public domain, via GCIDE / Project Gutenberg).
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- Published: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00 · Modified: 2026-07-17T00:00:00-07:00