caber

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkeɪbə/, /ˈkɑː-/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) 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

Anagrams

• Brace, acerb, brace, cabre, cabré

Catalan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (Central)
• IPA^(key): (Balearic)
• IPA^(key): (Valencian)

Verb

caber (first-person singular present cabo, first-person singular preterite cabí, past participle cabut)

1. Alternative form of cabre

Conjugation

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.

Galician

Etymology

From Old Galcian and 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”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈbeɾ/
• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Hyphenation: ca‧ber

Verb

caber (first-person singular present caibo, first-person singular preterite couben, past participle cabido)
caber (first-person singular present caibo, first-person singular preterite coubem or coube, past participle cabido, reintegrationist norm)

1. to fit (in something)
2. to hold or contain; to be capable of containing

Conjugation

Derived terms

• malcabido

References

• “caber” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006–2022.
• “caber” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006–2013.
• “caber” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “caber” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

Occitan

Alternative forms

• caupre

Etymology

From Old Occitan 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”).

Pronunciation

• Audio (Languedocien)

  (file)

Verb

caber

1. to fit (in)

Conjugation

This verb needs an inflection-table template.

Portuguese

Etymology

From Old Galician-Portuguese caber, from Latin capere (“to 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

• Hyphenation: ca‧ber

Verb

caber (first-person singular present caibo, first-person singular preterite coube, past participle cabido)

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.

Conjugation

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:caber.

Synonyms

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

Spanish

Etymology

Inherited from Old Spanish caber, from Latin capere (“take, hold, contain”), from Proto-Italic *kapiō, from Proto-Indo-European *kh₂pyéti, from the root *keh₂p- (“to seize, grab”). Compare English have, capture, catch and chase. See also Spanish cazar, cachar.

The 1SG reflects an original */'kaipo/, through metathesis from Latin capio. Compare Portuguese caibo.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaˈbeɾ/

• Audio (Colombia):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -eɾ
• Syllabification: ca‧ber

Verb

caber (first-person singular present quepo, first-person singular preterite cupe, past participle cabido)

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

   Synonym: entrar

   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.)

   Synonym: pasar

3. (transitive) to be held or contained (to be held inside (something) or passed through (regardless of whether space or volume remains))
4. (transitive, intransitive) to have, hold, should be (in certain phrases)

   No os quepa duda... ― Make no mistake about it...

   Cabe señalar que... ― It should be noted that...

   No cabe comparación entre las dos cosas.

   The two things aren't comparable.

5. (transitive, figuratively) to be acceptable, accepted, permitted, permissible, allowable, etc.

   Synonym: tener cabida

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.

Conjugation

Derived terms

Related terms

See also

• ajustar

Further reading

• “caber”, in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014