n. [ F. capucin a monk who wears a cowl, fr. It. cappuccio hood. See Capoch. ] [ 1913 Webster ] 1. (Eccl.) A Franciscan monk of the austere branch established in 1526 by Matteo di Baschi, distinguished by wearing the long pointed cowl or capoch of St. Francis. [ 1913 Webster ] A bare-footed and long-bearded capuchin. Sir W. Scott. [ 1913 Webster ] 2. A garment for women, consisting of a cloak and hood, resembling, or supposed to resemble, that of capuchin monks. [ 1913 Webster ] 3. (Zool.) (a) A long-tailed South American monkey (Cabus capucinus), having the forehead naked and wrinkled, with the hair on the crown reflexed and resembling a monk's cowl, the rest being of a grayish white; -- called also capucine monkey, weeper, sajou, sapajou, and sai. (b) Other species of Cabus, as Cabus fatuellus (the brown capucine or horned capucine.), Cabus albifrons (the cararara), and Cabus apella. (c) A variety of the domestic pigeon having a hoodlike tuft of feathers on the head and sides of the neck. [ 1913 Webster ]
Capuchin nun, one of an austere order of Franciscan nuns which came under Capuchin rule in 1538. The order had recently been founded by Maria Longa. [ 1913 Webster ]
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