I. ˈkāˌpän also -_pən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Middle English, from Old English capūn, probably from Old North French capon, from Latin capon-, capo; akin to Greek koptein to smite, cut off, skaptein to dig, Lithuanian skopti to hollow out with a knife, Russian shchepat' to split, Old Slavic kopati to dig, skopiti to castrate
1. : a castrated male chicken — compare poularde
2. : a castrated male rabbit
II. transitive verb
( -ed/-ing/-s )
: castrate , caponize