Definitions for capacity
kəˈpæs ɪ tica·pac·i·ty

Princeton's WordNetRate this definition:3.1 / 12 votes

1. capacitynoun

   capability to perform or produce

   "among his gifts is his capacity for true altruism"; "limited runway capacity"; "a great capacity for growth"

2. capability, capacitynoun

   the susceptibility of something to a particular treatment

   "the capability of a metal to be fused"

3. capacity, contentnoun

   the amount that can be contained

   "the gas tank has a capacity of 12 gallons"

4. capacitynoun

   the maximum production possible

   "the plant is working at 80 per cent capacity"

5. capacitynoun

   a specified function

   "he was employed in the capacity of director"; "he should be retained in his present capacity at a higher salary"

6. capacitynoun

   (computer science) the amount of information (in bytes) that can be stored on a disk drive

   "the capacity of a hard disk drive is usually expressed in megabytes"

7. capacitance, electrical capacity, capacitynoun

   an electrical phenomenon whereby an electric charge is stored

8. capacity, mental abilitynoun

   the power to learn or retain knowledge; in law, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior

9. capacitynoun

   tolerance for alcohol

   "he had drunk beyond his capacity"

WiktionaryRate this definition:2.0 / 2 votes

1. capacitynoun

   The ability to hold, receive or absorb

2. capacitynoun

   A measure of such ability; volume

3. capacitynoun

   The maximum amount that can be held

4. capacitynoun

   Capability; the ability to perform some task

5. capacitynoun

   The maximum that can be produced.

6. capacitynoun

   Mental ability; the power to learn

7. capacitynoun

   A faculty; the potential for growth and development

8. capacitynoun

   A role; the position in which one functions

9. capacitynoun

   Legal authority (to make an arrest for example)

10. capacitynoun

    Electrical capacitance.

11. capacitynoun

    The maximum that can be produced on a machine or in a facility or group.

    Its capacity rating was 150 tons per hour, but its actual maximum capacity was 200 tons per hour.

12. capacityadjective

    Filling the allotted space.

    There will be a capacity crowd at Busch stadium for the sixth game.

Samuel Johnson's DictionaryRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Capacitynoun

   Etymology: capacité, Fr.

   1. The power of holding or containing any thing.

   Had our palace the capacity
   To camp this host, we would all sup together. William Shakespeare.

   Notwithstanding thy capacity
   Receiveth as the sea, nought enters there,
   Of what validity and pitch soe’er,
   But falls into abatement and low price. William Shakespeare, Tw. Night.

   For they that most and greatest things embrace,
   Enlarge thereby their mind’s capacity,
   As streams enlarg’d, enlarge the channel’s space. Davies.

   Space, considered in length, breadth, and thickness, I think, may be called capacity. John Locke.

   2. The force or power of the mind.

   No intellectual creature in the world, is able, by capacity, to do that which nature doth without capacity and knowledge. Richard Hooker, b. i. § 3.

   In spiritual natures, so much as there is of desire, so much there is also of capacity to receive. I do not say, there is always a capacity to receive the very thing they desire; for that may be impossible. South.

   An heroick poem requires the accomplishment of some extraordinary undertaking; which requires the strength and vigour of the body, the duty of a soldier, and the capacity and prudence of a general. John Dryden, Juv. Dedication.

   3. Power; ability.

   Since the world’s wide frame does not include
   A cause with such capacities endu’d,
   Some other cause o’er nature must preside. Richard Blackmore.

   4. Room; space.

   There remained, in the capacity of the exhausted cylinder, store of little rooms, or spaces, empty or devoid of air. Boyle.

   5. State; condition; character.

   A miraculous revolution, reducing many from the head of a triumphant rebellion, to their old condition of masons, smiths, and carpenters; that, in this capacity, they might repair what, as colonels and captains, they had ruined and defaced. South.

   You desire my thoughts as a friend, and not as a member of parliament; they are the same in both capacities. Jonathan Swift.

ChatGPTRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. capacity

   Capacity refers to the maximum amount that something can contain, produce, absorb or utilize. It can be applied to various contexts, including physical attributes (like the volume a container can hold), mental attributes (such as the ability to learn), system performance (like data capacity in computing) or operational efficiency (like the number of goods a factory can produce). In essence, it is the potential or capability of an object, person, system or process.

Webster DictionaryRate this definition:1.0 / 1 vote

1. Capacitynoun

   the power of receiving or containing; extent of room or space; passive power; -- used in reference to physical things

2. Capacitynoun

   the power of receiving and holding ideas, knowledge, etc.; the comprehensiveness of the mind; the receptive faculty; capability of undestanding or feeling

3. Capacitynoun

   ability; power pertaining to, or resulting from, the possession of strength, wealth, or talent; possibility of being or of doing

4. Capacitynoun

   outward condition or circumstances; occupation; profession; character; position; as, to work in the capacity of a mason or a carpenter

5. Capacitynoun

   legal or noral qualification, as of age, residence, character, etc., necessary for certain purposes, as for holding office, for marrying, for making contracts, will, etc.; legal power or right; competency

WikidataRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. Capacity

   The capacity of both natural and legal persons determines whether they may make binding amendments to their rights, duties and obligations, such as getting married or merging, entering into contracts, making gifts, or writing a valid will. Capacity is an aspect of status and both are defined by a person's personal law: ⁕for natural persons, the law of domicile or lex domicilii in common law jurisdictions, and either the law of nationality or lex patriae, or of habitual residence in civil law states; ⁕for legal persons, the law of the place of incorporation, the lex incorporationis for companies while other forms of business entity derive their capacity either from the law of the place in which they were formed or the laws of the states in which they establish a presence for trading purposes depending on the nature of the entity and the transactions entered into. When the law limits or bars a person from engaging in specified activities, any agreements or contracts to do so are either voidable or void for incapacity. Sometimes such legal incapacity is referred to as incompetence. For comparison, see Competence (law).

Chambers 20th Century DictionaryRate this definition:5.0 / 1 vote

1. Capacity

   kap-as′i-ti, n. power of holding or grasping a thing: room: volume: power of mind: character: position enabling one to do something.—adj. Capā′cious, including much: roomy: wide: extensive.—adv. Capā′ciously.—n. Capā′ciousness.—v.t. Capac′itate, to make capable: to qualify; Capacity for heat, power of absorbing heat.—Legal capacity, the power to alter one's rights or duties by the exercise of free-will, or responsibility to punishment for one's acts. [Fr.,—L. capacitas,—capĕre, to take, hold.]

Dictionary of Nautical TermsRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. capacity

   Burden, tonnage, fitness for the service, rating.

Editors ContributionRate this definition:0.0 / 0 votes

1. capacity

   Power to do, feel, know and understand.

   His capacity to change and shift his perception was amazing.

   
   

   Submitted by MaryC on January 15, 2020  

Matched Categories

1. • Capability
   • Computer Science
   • Electrical Phenomenon
   • Function
   • Indefinite Quantity
   • Production
   • Susceptibility
   • Tolerance
   • Volume

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'capacity' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1768

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'capacity' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2486

3. Nouns Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'capacity' in Nouns Frequency: #746

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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How to pronounce capacity?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say capacity in sign language?

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of capacity in Chaldean Numerology is: 4

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of capacity in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of capacity in a Sentence

1. Bill Gates:

   I'm pleased to have been an early backer of Bill Gross's novel solar concentration technology, its capacity to achieve the high temperatures required for these processes is a promising development in the quest to one day replace fossil fuel.

2. Director Christine Lagarde:

   We are concerned about their capacity to buffer shocks.

3. Dallas County judge:

   Our hospitals and our people desperately need some time to get bed capacity and doctor capacity up so their hospitals won't be overrun.

4. Collin Laverty:

   You have capacity issues at the airport with everything from luggage getting off flights to the customs process, and so those are all challenges.

5. National Development and Reform Commission:

   With more coal capacity to be released and production to continue to increase ... coal prices are expected to continue to decline steadily.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

References

1. ^ Princeton's WordNet
   http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=capacity
2. ^ Wiktionary
   https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Capacity
3. ^ Samuel Johnson's Dictionary
   https://johnsonsdictionaryonline.com/views/search.php?term=capacity
4. ^ ChatGPT
   https://chat.openai.com
5. ^ Webster Dictionary
   https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capacity
6. ^ Wikidata
   https://www.wikidata.org/w/index.php?search=capacity
7. ^ Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
   https://www.gutenberg.org/files/37683/37683-h/37683-h.htm#:~:text=capacity
8. ^ Dictionary of Nautical Terms
   https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/26000/pg26000-images.html#:~:text=capacity
9. ^ Usage in printed sources
   https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=capacity