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From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Capacity \Ca*pac"i*ty\ (k[.a]*p[a^]s"[i^]*t[y^]), noun; pl. {Capacities} (-t[i^]z). [L. capacitus, fr. capax, capacis; fr. F. capacit['e]. See {Capacious}.]
1. The power of receiving or containing; extent of room or space; passive power; -- used in reference to physical things.
Had our great palace the capacity To camp this host, we all would sup together. --Shak.
The capacity of the exhausted cylinder. --Boyle.
2. The power of receiving and holding ideas, knowledge, etc.; the comprehensiveness of the mind; the receptive faculty; capability of understanding or feeling.
Capacity is now properly limited to these [the mere passive operations of the mind]; its primary signification, which is literally room for, as well as its employment, favors this; although it can not be denied that there are examples of its usage in an active sense. --Sir W. Hamilton.
3. Ability; power pertaining to, or resulting from, the possession of strength, wealth, or talent; possibility of being or of doing.
The capacity of blessing the people. --Alex. Hamilton.
A cause with such capacities endued. --Blackmore.
4. Outward condition or circumstances; occupation; profession; character; position; as, to work in the capacity of a mason or a carpenter.
5. (Law) Legal or moral qualification, as of age, residence, character, etc., necessary for certain purposes, as for holding office, for marrying, for making contracts, wills, etc.; legal power or right; competency.
{Capacity for heat}, the power of absorbing heat. Substances differ in the amount of heat requisite to raise them a given number of thermometric degrees, and this difference is the measure of, or depends upon, what is called their capacity for heat. See {Specific heat}, under {Heat}.
Syn: Ability; faculty; talent; capability; skill; efficiency; cleverness. See {Ability}.
From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]:
noun
1: capability to perform or produce; "among his gifts is his capacity for true altruism"; "limited runway capacity"; "a great capacity for growth" [ant: {incapacity}]
2: the susceptibility of something to a particular treatment; "the capability of a metal to be fused" [syn: {capability}, {capacity}]
3: the amount that can be contained; "the gas tank has a capacity of 12 gallons" [syn: {capacity}, {content}]
4: the maximum production possible; "the plant is working at 80 per cent capacity"
5: a specified function; "he was employed in the capacity of director"; "he should be retained in his present capacity at a higher salary"
6: (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: an electrical phenomenon whereby an electric charge is stored [syn: {capacitance}, {electrical capacity}, {capacity}]
8: the power to learn or retain knowledge; in law, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior [syn: {capacity}, {mental ability}] [ant: {incapacity}]
9: tolerance for alcohol; "he had drunk beyond his capacity"
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Definitions retrieved from the Open Source DICT Webster's English and WordNet 3.0 dictionaries. Click here for database copyright information.
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