What does capon mean?
A capon is a rooster that has been castrated at a young age and then fattened for the table. The practice produces a bird that grows larger than an ordinary chicken while retaining unusually tender, juicy, and well-marbled meat — qualities that made the capon a prized centerpiece at feasts from antiquity through the Renaissance. Today the word appears chiefly in culinary contexts: recipes, menus, and discussions of traditional cooking, especially around holidays when roast capon may be served as an alternative to turkey. Because it refers to a specific kind of bird rather than poultry in general, the term carries a slightly old-fashioned, gourmet connotation. Related forms include the verb 'to caponize,' meaning to castrate a cockerel in this way. The word remains familiar mainly to cooks, food historians, and readers of classic literature.
nounA capon is a castrated rooster (cockerel) fattened for eating, prized for its tender, flavorful meat.
- A castrated male chicken (rooster) fattened for consumption as meat.
"The chef roasted a capon with herbs and lemon for the holiday feast."
"For Christmas dinner she prepared a roast capon stuffed with chestnut and sage dressing."
"The medieval cookbook called for a capon, which was considered far superior to ordinary fowl."
The plural simply adds -s, following standard English noun inflection.
"The farm raised capons specifically for the holiday market."
A capon is a rooster that never grew up — castrated young, it stays tender, plump, and famously delicious, a delicacy dating back to Roman times.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of capon
The word 'capon' comes from Old French 'chapon', which itself derives from Latin 'caponem', meaning a castrated cockerel. English borrowed it in the Middle Ages, likely through Norman French, and it has been used consistently since then to refer to this specially reared bird. Cognates appear across Romance languages, including Italian 'cappone' and Spanish 'capón'.
Related word forms
How capon is actually used
Capon is a formal or culinary term; in everyday speech people usually just say 'rooster' or 'chicken'. It appears most often in cookery writing and historical or festive menus.
Easily confused with capon
A coupon is a voucher entitling the holder to a discount, whereas a capon is a castrated rooster raised for meat.