Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • intransitive verb To encase in or as if in a capsule.
  • intransitive verb To express in a brief summary; epitomize.
  • intransitive verb To become encapsulated.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To inclose in a capsule.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • verb transitive To cover something as if in a capsule.
  • verb transitive To epitomize something by expressing it as a brief summary.
  • verb software To enclose objects in a common interface in a way that makes them interchangeable, and guards their states from invalid changes.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb enclose in a capsule or other small container
  • verb put in a short or concise form; reduce in volume

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From en- + capsule + -ate.

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Examples

  • The book with its various signatures and the exhibition title encapsulate the continuing dynamic of the oral-literate interaction over the Treaty.

    Book & Print in New Zealand: A Guide to Print Culture in New Zealand Penny Griffith 1885

  • Certain record labels encapsulate an era which leaves an imprint in one's psyche.

    Jakartass 2008

  • German fashion blog "Les Mads" worried it would be a "step in the wrong direction" to try to "encapsulate" Berlin's creative scene in a members-only club.

    Berlin Broods Over a Glitz Invasion 2010

  • To use my favorite word of the day, you "encapsulate" the mood, the brain-squeezing frustration that has come to mark me as a mother- grieving but true!

    The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Mommy 2006

  • You can "encapsulate" much the > same way a stored procedure does with CFCs.

    ColdFusion Talk (CF-Talk) Mailing List RSS Feed 2008

  • In the subsequent furore and in an effort to allay mounting concerns, RM agreed to 'encapsulate' the waste asbestos fibres in pellet form prior to dumping; they also agreed to install filters on the air extractor fans at the plant. [

    Indymedia Ireland 2009

  • If Apple were looking to encapsulate his wisdom in two words, it could do worse than "speed kills."

    How Apple Foot-Dragged to Victory Jr. Holman W. Jenkins 2011

  • It remains one of my favorite artifacts and seems to perfectly encapsulate emergence of new types of social currencies as a part of a reorganization of our lives around social relationships.

    Boing Boing 2009

  • Matt Lee's gallery of matchboxes from the subcontinent highlights the lovely art that adorns these little bits of ephemera: "The random and disparate juxtapositions of the imagery encapsulate the mix of historic, mythological and contemporary visual culture in India."

    Boing Boing 2009

  • User spams posts made up of several small words repeatedly, despite having enough space in the post to encapsulate many thoughts.

    Think Progress » Limbaugh stands by his Haiti remarks, tells critical caller she’s a ‘bigot’ with ‘tampons in her ears.’ 2010

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