capacity

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

1. n. The ability to receive, hold, or absorb.
2. n. A measure of this ability; volume.
3. n. The maximum amount that can be contained: a trunk filled to capacity.
4. n. Ability to perform or produce; capability.
5. n. The maximum or optimum amount that can be produced: factories operating below capacity.
6. n. The power to learn or retain knowledge; mental ability.
7. n. Innate potential for growth, development, or accomplishment; faculty. See Synonyms at ability.
8. n. The quality of being suitable for or receptive to specified treatment: the capacity of elastic to be stretched.
9. n. The position in which one functions; role: in your capacity as sales manager.
10. n. Legal qualification or authority: the capacity to make an arrest.
11. n. Electricity Capacitance.
12. adj. Filling a space with the most it can hold: a capacity crowd at the concert.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. The power of receiving or containing; specifically, the power of containing a certain quantity exactly; cubic contents.
2. n. Receptivity; susceptibility to being passively affected in any way; power of receiving impressions, or of being acted upon.
3. n. Active power; ability: as, mental capacity; the capacity of a substance to resist pressure.
4. n. Ability in a moral or legal sense; legal qualification; legal power or right: as, a man or a corporation may have a capacity to give or receive and hold estate; A was present at the meeting in his capacity of director (that is, in virtue of his legal qualification as a director).
5. n. Hence Character; profession; occupation; function.
6. n. A license; authorization.
7. n. Synonyms Dimensions.
8. n. Aptitude, Faculty (see genius), turn, forte, aptness; Ability, Capacity (see ability).
9. n. Office, sphere, post, function.
10. n. The ability of a stream to transport land-waste, measured by the quantity carried past a given point in a given time.

Wiktionary

1. n. The ability to hold, receive or absorb
2. n. A measure of such ability; volume
3. n. The maximum amount that can be held
4. n. Capability; the ability to perform some task
5. n. The maximum that can be produced.
6. n. Mental ability; the power to learn
7. n. A faculty; the potential for growth and development
8. n. A role; the position in which one functions
9. n. Legal authority (to make an arrest for example)
10. n. Electrical capacitance.
11. n. operations The maximum that can be produced on a machine or in a facility or group.
12. adj. Filling the allotted space.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. The power of receiving or containing; extent of room or space; passive power; -- used in reference to physical things.
2. n. The power of receiving and holding ideas, knowledge, etc.; the comprehensiveness of the mind; the receptive faculty; capability of understanding or feeling.
3. n. Ability; power pertaining to, or resulting from, the possession of strength, wealth, or talent; possibility of being or of doing.
4. n. Outward condition or circumstances; occupation; profession; character; position.
5. n. (Law) Legal or moral qualification, as of age, residence, character, etc., necessary for certain purposes, as for holding office, for marrying, for making contracts, wills, etc.; legal power or right; competency.

WordNet 3.0

1. n. the maximum production possible
2. n. the susceptibility of something to a particular treatment
3. n. the amount that can be contained
4. n. tolerance for alcohol
5. n. a specified function
6. n. (computer science) the amount of information (in bytes) that can be stored on a disk drive
7. n. the power to learn or retain knowledge; in law, the ability to understand the facts and significance of your behavior
8. n. capability to perform or produce
9. n. an electrical phenomenon whereby an electric charge is stored