a general sense, denotes a receptacle, or cover in form of a bag.

Capsule, among botanists, a species of pericarpium, or seed-vessel, composed of several dry elastic valves, which usually burst open at the points, when their seeds are ripe: It differs from a pod, in being roundish and short. This kind of pericarpium sometimes contains one cell or cavity, sometimes more: In the first case it is called unilocular, as it is bilocular, trilocular, &c., when it contains two, three, &c. cells or cavities.

Capsulae atrabiliariae, called also glandulae renales, and renes succenturiati. See p. 260.