cap
Abbreviation with 9 meanings
| Stands for | Capsule |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 9 |
| Categories | Medical, Government & Politics, Military, Technology & Computing, Organizations & Companies, Education & Academia |
| Also written | CAP |
cap has nine meanings. The most common are Capsule (pharmacy) and Community-acquired pneumonia (respiratory); it can also stand for Common Agricultural Policy, Civil Air Patrol, College of American Pathologists, Consistency, availability, partition tolerance (CAP theorem) and Combat air patrol, plus 2 more listed below.
Meanings of cap at a glance
| # | cap stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Capsule | Medical › Pharmacy |
| 2 | Community-acquired pneumonia | Medical › Respiratory |
| 3 | Common Agricultural Policy | Government & Politics › World Government |
| 4 | Civil Air Patrol | Military › Military Unit and Organization |
| 5 | College of American Pathologists | Medical › Laboratory Test |
| 6 | Consistency, availability, partition tolerance (CAP theorem) | Technology & Computing › Data & Database |
| 7 | Combat air patrol | Military › Military Term |
| 8 | Center for American Progress | Organizations & Companies › Nonprofit |
| 9 | Certified Administrative Professional | Education & Academia › Professional Certification |
1. Capsule
Medical · Pharmacy Abbreviations
Oral dosage form in which the drug is enclosed in a gelatin or plant-based shell, either a two-piece hard capsule filled with powder or pellets, or a one-piece soft gel holding a liquid. Capsules mask bad tastes and can contain modified-release beads.
Example: Omeprazole 20 mg cap, take 1 cap 30 minutes before breakfast.
Plural "caps". Some delayed-release capsules, such as omeprazole and lansoprazole, may be opened and sprinkled on applesauce, but the beads must not be crushed. Vegetarian capsules made from hypromellose (HPMC) avoid animal gelatin. CAP in uppercase has unrelated medical meanings such as community-acquired pneumonia.
2. Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP)
Medical · Respiratory Abbreviations
Pneumonia that develops outside the hospital in people without recent significant healthcare exposure. Streptococcus pneumoniae is the most commonly identified bacterial cause, and respiratory viruses account for a large share of cases.
Example: CAP with right lower lobe consolidation, CURB-65 score 1: outpatient amoxicillin.
Severity tools such as CURB-65 (confusion, urea, respiratory rate, blood pressure, age 65 or older) and the Pneumonia Severity Index help decide whether to admit. The 2019 American Thoracic Society and Infectious Diseases Society of America guideline recommends amoxicillin or doxycycline for healthy outpatients and a beta-lactam plus macrolide or a respiratory fluoroquinolone for inpatients. Pneumococcal vaccination reduces risk.
3. Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)
Government & Politics · World Government Abbreviations
EU policy that supports farmers' incomes through direct payments, manages agricultural markets and funds rural development and environmental schemes. It accounts for roughly a third of the EU budget.
Example: Farmers protested proposed changes to CAP payments outside the Parliament in Brussels.
Launched in 1962, it is one of the EU's oldest common policies. Early price supports produced the "butter mountains" and "wine lakes" of surplus in the 1970s and 1980s, leading to reforms that decoupled payments from production. The UK replaced CAP payments with its own schemes after Brexit.
4. Civil Air Patrol (CAP)
Military · Military Unit and Organization Abbreviations
Congressionally chartered nonprofit that serves as the official civilian auxiliary of the US Air Force, conducting search and rescue, disaster relief, aerial imagery and aerospace education, and running a cadet program for young people.
Example: CAP aircrews photographed the flood damage for state emergency managers.
Civil Air Patrol was founded on December 1, 1941, and its volunteers flew coastal patrols against German U-boats during World War II. It became the Air Force auxiliary in 1948. In air operations, CAP also means combat air patrol, an unrelated tactical term.
5. College of American Pathologists (CAP)
Medical · Laboratory Test Abbreviations
Professional organization of board-certified pathologists whose Laboratory Accreditation Program inspects and accredits thousands of laboratories worldwide. It also runs proficiency testing surveys and publishes the cancer protocols that standardize pathology reports.
Example: Lab is CAP-accredited; the biennial inspection is scheduled for March.
CAP accreditation has deemed status with CMS, so it satisfies CLIA requirements. Inspections are conducted by peer teams of practicing pathologists and laboratory professionals. In respiratory medicine, CAP means community-acquired pneumonia, an unrelated term.
6. Consistency, availability, partition tolerance (CAP theorem) (CAP)
Technology & Computing · Data & Database Abbreviations
The principle that a distributed data system cannot guarantee consistency, availability and partition tolerance all at once: when a network partition splits the nodes, it must choose between returning consistent data and staying available.
Example: Under CAP, the cluster chose consistency, so writes were rejected during the network split.
Proposed by Eric Brewer in 2000 and proven by Seth Gilbert and Nancy Lynch in 2002. Because partitions cannot be ruled out in real networks, the practical choice is between CP and AP behavior. The PACELC extension adds that even without partitions, systems trade latency against consistency.
7. Combat air patrol (CAP)
Military · Military Term Abbreviations
Aircraft patrol over an area to intercept and destroy hostile aircraft before they reach their targets, protecting ships, forces or airspace. Fighters on CAP often orbit for hours, refueling from tankers.
Example: Two F-35s flew CAP over the carrier while the strike aircraft refueled.
Variants include barrier CAP and target CAP. Drone operators also use "CAP" for a continuous orbit of aircraft over an area. In US civil aviation, CAP is the Civil Air Patrol, the Air Force auxiliary.
8. Center for American Progress (CAP)
Organizations & Companies · Nonprofit Abbreviations
Washington think tank that develops progressive policy proposals on the economy, health care, climate, immigration and other issues, with an affiliated advocacy arm, CAP Action.
Example: CAP released a plan to lower prescription drug costs.
Founded in 2003 by John Podesta, a former White House chief of staff, it became a major source of staff and ideas for Democratic administrations. In EU policy, CAP means the Common Agricultural Policy, and in aviation the Civil Air Patrol.
9. Certified Administrative Professional (CAP)
Education & Academia · Professional Certification Abbreviations
Credential from the International Association of Administrative Professionals (IAAP) for executive assistants and office professionals, covering organizational communication, business writing, technology, event and project management and operational functions.
Example: The executive assistant earned her CAP while supporting the company's CEO.
Eligibility depends on a combination of experience and education. IAAP also offers a technology specialty. CAP has unrelated meanings such as the Civil Air Patrol and corrective action plan.
Related abbreviations
More pharmacy abbreviations
- C-III – Schedule III controlled substance
- C-IV – Schedule IV controlled substance
- C-V – Schedule V controlled substance
- CACI – Compounding aseptic containment isolator
- CD – Controlled delivery
- CDTM – Collaborative drug therapy management
- cGMP – Current good manufacturing practice
- conc – Concentrate
See all 134 pharmacy abbreviations →
More respiratory abbreviations
- BAL – Bronchoalveolar lavage
- BiPAP – Bilevel positive airway pressure
- BOOP – Bronchiolitis obliterans organizing pneumonia
- BPD – Bronchopulmonary dysplasia
- CF – Cystic fibrosis
- COP – Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia
- COPD – Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- CPAP – Continuous positive airway pressure
See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.