kəˈpasətən(t)s, -əd.ən- noun
( -s )
Etymology: capacity (I) + -ance
1. : the property of an electric nonconductor that permits the storage of energy as a result of electric displacement when opposite surfaces of the nonconductor are maintained at a difference of potential (as in a capacitor), its measure being the ratio of the charge on either surface to the potential difference between the surfaces and its value for a capacitor being the sum of the combined values of its several dielectric plates — called also capacity
2. : a part of a circuit or network that possesses capacitance