Capping

Part of speech: verb

Pronunciation: /ˈkapɪŋ/

Definitions

1. Placing a protective or finishing cover on something ; setting a maximum allowable amount or limit ; adding an ending or conclusion to complete a process or statement
2. Applying a top or lid to seal or finish an object ; imposing a restriction on the highest permitted level ; providing a final touch or summation to a series or action
3. Covering the end or surface with a cap-like object ; establishing an upper boundary or limit to prevent excess ; finalizing or closing off by adding a decisive element

Etymology: "Capping" is simply "cap" with the suffix "-ing" attached, so its story is really the story of "cap." That word reaches English through a long chain: the Latin "caput," meaning "head," gave rise to "capitulum," a little head, which became "cappa" in Late Latin, a hooded cloak or covering for the head. Old English borrowed it as "cæppe," and by the Middle English period it had shortened to "cappe." The noun for a head covering is thus named after the head itself. The suffix "-ing" is a common English ending that turns a verb into a form describing an action or its result, so "capping" describes the act of putting a cap on something or covering its top. Its meaning follows the physical sense of "cap": placing a covering over the top of a bottle, a wall, or a tooth, and in a figurative sense, topping off or surpassing something, as when one remark caps another.

Synonyms: topping, covering, capping off, finishing, sealing

Antonyms: exposing, uncovering, revealing, opening, removing