[syn: capacity, mental ability]
9. tolerance for alcohol;
- Example: "he had drunk beyond his capacity"
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:
Capacity \Ca*pac"i*ty\ (k[.a]*p[a^]s"[i^]*t[y^]), n.; 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.
[1913 Webster]
Had our great palace the capacity
To camp this host, we all would sup together.
--Shak.
[1913 Webster]
The capacity of the exhausted cylinder. --Boyle.
[1913 Webster]
2. The power of receiving and holding ideas, knowledge, etc.;
the comprehensiveness of the mind; the receptive faculty;
capability of understanding or feeling.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
3. Ability; power pertaining to, or resulting from, the
possession of strength, wealth, or talent; possibility of
being or of doing.
[1913 Webster]
The capacity of blessing the people. --Alex.
Hamilton.
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A cause with such capacities endued. --Blackmore.
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4. Outward condition or circumstances; occupation;
profession; character; position; as, to work in the
capacity of a mason or a carpenter.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
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.
[1913 Webster]
WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):
capacity
n 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"
The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing (19 January 2023):
capacity
The maximum possible data transfer rate of
a communications channel under ideal conditions. The total
capacity of a channel may be shared between several
independent data streams using some kind of multiplexing, in
which case, each stream's data rate may be limited to a fixed
fraction of the total capacity.
(2001-05-22)