Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAP, n. [Sax. cæppe, a cap, and a cape, a cloke; D. kap; G. kappe and haube; Dan. kappe, a robe or coat; Sw. kappa, id.; It. cappa, a cap, a cloke; W. cap; Fr. chape, chapeau; Arm. chap or cap. The sense is probably that which is put on. Class Gb, No. 70; also 31, 36.]

1. A part of dress made to cover the head.
2. The ensign of a cardinalate. – Shak.
3. The top, or the uppermost; the highest. Thou art the cap of fools. – Shak.
4. A vessel in form of a cap. – Wilkins.
5. An act of respect made by uncovering the head. – L'Estrange. Cap of cannon, a piece of lead laid over the vent to keep the priming dry; now called an apron. Cap of maintenance, an ornament of state, carried before the kings of England at the coronation. It is also carried before the mayors of some cities. In ship-building, a cap is a thick strong block of wood, used to confine two masts together, when one is erected at the head of another.