caber

See also: cąber and Cąber

English

Etymology

From Scottish Gaelic cabar (“spar, pole”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkeɪbə/, /ˈkɑː-/
• IPA^(key): /ˈkeɪbɚ/, /ˈkɑ-/
• Rhymes: -eɪbə(ɹ)

Noun

caber (plural cabers)

1. A long, thick log held upright at one end and tossed in the Highland games.

Derived terms

• caber toss

Translations

a long, thick log held upright at one end and tossed in the Highland games

• Scottish Gaelic: cabar
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}

Anagrams

• Brace, acerb, brace, cabre, cabré

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Catalan

Verb

caber

1. Alternative form of cabre

Further reading

• “caber” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “caber”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2024
• “caber” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “caber” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

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Galician

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese caber, from Latin capere, present active infinitive of capiō (“I take in, contain”), from Proto-Italic *kapiō, from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂pyéti, from the root *keh₂p- (“to seize, grab”).

Verb

1. to fit (in something).
2. to hold or contain; to be capable of containing.
3. first-person singular personal infinitive of caber
4. third-person singular personal infinitive of caber

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Occitan

Alternative forms

• caupre

Etymology

From Latin capere, present active infinitive of capiō (“I take in, contain”)

Verb

caber

1. to fit (in)

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

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Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese caber, from Latin capere, present active infinitive of capiō (“I take in, contain”), from Proto-Italic *kapiō, from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂pyéti, from the root *keh₂p- (“to seize, grab”). Compare Galician caber, Spanish caber, Italian capire (“to understand”) and Romanian încăpea.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.ˈbe(ʁ)/
• IPA^(key): /kɐ.ˈβeɾ/
• Hyphenation: ca‧ber

Verb

1. (transitive with em) to fit (in something, no matter if space or volume is left)

   Este tamanho não cabe em mim.

   This size doesn't fit me.

2. (transitive with em) to traverse, pass through or across (a way, path, opening etc. no matter if space is left)
3. (transitive with em) to hold; to be capable of containing

   Nesse auditório cabem duas mil pessoas.

   That auditorium holds two thousand people.

4. (transitive with a) to be responsible for; to be up to somebody

   Cabe a você fazer uma escolha.

   It's up to you to make a choice.

5. (transitive with a) to be allotted to, to be distributed to

   A cada um coube uma pequena parte.

   A small part was distributed to each person.

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:caber.

Synonyms

• (to pass through): passar
• (to be responsible for): competir, pertencer
• (to fall to): calhar

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Spanish

Etymology

From Old Spanish caber, from Latin capere, present active infinitive of capiō (“I take in, contain”), from Proto-Italic *kapiō, from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂pyéti, from the root *keh₂p- (“to seize, grab”). Compare English capture, catch and chase.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈbeɾ/ [kaˈβ̞eɾ]

Verb

1. (transitive) to fit, enter (to be able to be contained (by something; regardless of whether space or volume remains))

   Quise tomar prestados los pantalones de mi hermana pequeña, pero no me cabían.

   I wanted to borrow my little sister's trousers, but they didn't fit me.

2. (transitive) to traverse, pass through or across (a way, path, door, hole, opening, mouth, orifice, etc.)
3. (transitive) to be held or contained (to be held inside (something) or passed through (regardless of whether space or volume remains))
4. (transitive) to have, hold

   No os quepa duda...

   Make no mistake about it...

5. (transitive, figuratively) to be acceptable, accepted, permitted, permissible, allowable, etc.
6. (archaic) to take
7. (archaic) to understand
8. to be possible

   Cabe eso. ― There is room for it.

Usage notes

• When something or somebody fits into something, in a strict sense, usually an adverb such as justo, justamente, or apenas is added.
• This verb always implies an active sense; i.e., the subject always does the action of this verb, although some translations to English may have a passive form.

Synonyms

• (fit, enter): entrar
• (traverse, pass): pasar
• (be accepted): tener cabida

Derived terms

• al que le quepa el sayo
• si cabe

Related terms

• cabida
• capacidad
• captar
• cupo

See also

• ajustar