Cape, noun

Origin:
Elliptical for Cape of Good Hope.
1. The Cape: A name for a. the Cape of Good Hope; b. in historical contexts. the Cape Colony; the Colony, see Colony; c. the (Western) Cape Province; d. the Cape Peninsula; e. Cape Town. In all senses also called Kaap. Also attributive. See also Fairest Cape.
Note:
In 1994 the Cape Province was divided into three new provinces, the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, and Northern Cape.
[1589 in W.S.W. Vaux World Encompassed by Sir Francis Drake (1854) 251From Jaua Maior we sailed for the cape of Good Hope...This Cape is a most stately thing, and the fairest Cape we saw in the whole circumference of the earth, and we passed by it the 18. of June [1580].]
1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost Bk II. Line 637They on the trading flood, Through the wide Ethiopian to the Cape, Ply stemming nightly toward the pole.
1696 J. Ovington Voy. to Suratt 289The third thing observable at the Cape, was the Profit and Advantage which that Plantation affords the Dutch.
1731 G. Medley tr. of P. Kolben’s Present State of Cape of G.H. I. 23The First [Colony] is at the Cape, where are the Grand Forts, and the Capital City, call’d also the Cape; in which, and about it, are many genteel Buildings, with all sorts of Accommodations.
1773 P. Carteret in J. Hawkesworth Acct of Voy. I. 8I thought it better to run the risk of a few hard gales off the Cape, than remain longer in this unhealthy place.
1786 G. Forster tr. of A. Sparrman’s Voy. to Cape of G.H. I. 8The town itself is the only one in the whole colony, and is properly called the Cape, though this name is often injudiciously given to the whole settlement.
1798 S.H. Wilcocke tr. of J.S. Stavorinus’s Voy. to E. Indies I. 558The wild animals, which are found in the country,..are now far removed from the Cape, and are seldom seen near it.
1798 S.H. Wilcocke tr. of J.S. Stavorinus’s Voy. to E. Indies II. 56The more distant farmers, required forty days (or rather nights, for they always travel by night), to ride their waggons to the Cape.
1810 G. Barrington Acct of Voy. 152The Cape, or principal district, is mostly composed of that peninsula, whose Southernmost projection was called by the Portuguese navigators, the Cape of Storms.
1828 J. Philip Researches I. 19Cape Town is termed ‘The Cape’ by the colonists.
1841 B. Shaw Memorials 15The salubrity of the Cape climate attracts a great number of persons from India, who reside for a time in Cape Town or its vicinity, for the recovery of their health.
1852 E. Rutherfoord in J. Murray In Mid-Victorian Cape Town (1953) 21If we were once to leave the dear old Cape I am afraid we should never see it again.
1859 Cape Town Weekly Mag. 21 Jan. 12All idea of re-annexation to the Cape appears to have vanished into thin air and the people are consequently busy considering the question of union with the Transvaal Republic.
1888 Cape Punch 8 Feb. 69By dint of sheer hard work the Cape Croesus — and by ‘Cape’ Mr. C.-P. refers to the whole colony — has raised himself to his present position.
1891 H.J. Duckitt Hilda’s ‘Where Is It?’ 127Boiled snook or cabeljou [printed cabeljon], if at the Cape, or any white fish will do.
1913 D. Fairbridge Piet of Italy 300It’s glad enough they’ll..get back to the Cape..but for my part I’m enchanted with Durban.
1941 C.W. De Kiewiet Hist. of S. Afr. 1It was renamed the Cape of Good Hope. But its fame and importance grew till it was familiarly called the Cape, without danger of confusion with the numberless other capes of the earth’s surface.
1953 ‘Amperbaas’ in Drum Apr. 6Coming to Johannesburg from the Cape thirty years ago, I tried to find a job.
1965 A. Gordon-Brown S. Afr. Heritage 13By 1800 the town had pushed up towards the mountain...‘The Cape’ had become ‘Cape Town’.
1971 Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. III. 23Before Union, ‘the Cape’ popularly stood for the Cape Colony, the political entity which, at the time of Union (1910) became the Cape Province. The same appellation therefore stood and still stands for the Cape of Good Hope, which also conveys the double meaning of a mere promontory and a whole province. Furthermore, the ‘Cape’ may mean the Cape Peninsula, or even, in popular parlance, Cape Town, as well as the magisterial district of the Cape, commonly known as the Cape district. Finally, ‘the Cape’ may refer to the Cape division, the area under the jurisdiction of the Cape Divisional Council.
1982 E. Prov. Herald 27 July 13In the Republic there are an estimated 16 000 species of wild flowers which include the renowned Cape flora, one of the richest assemblages of plants in the world.
1990 R. Gool Cape Town Coolie 173He had once wanted..to merge himself with the Cape, to belong here in Cape Town.
2. Special Comb.
a. Plants and animals:
Cape ant-eater, see ant-eater sense 1;
Cape ash, the essenhout (sense a), Ekebergia capensis;
Cape beech, the tree Rapanea melanophloeos of the Myrsinaceae; also called boekenhout;
Cape box, the tree Buxus macowanii of the Buxaceae;
Cape buffalo, the buffalo (sense 1), Syncerus caffer;
Cape bulbs, see quotation 1966;
Cape canary, the seed-eating bird Serinus canicollis of the Fringillidae; also called sysie (sense a);
Cape cedar, the Clanwilliam cedar, Widdringtonia cedarbergensis;
Cape chestnut, wild chestnut sense (b), see wild sense a;
Cape cobra, the venomous cobra Naja nivea of the Elapidae; bakkop; yellow cobra, see yellow sense a; see also mfesi, and rinkhals sense 1;
Cape cormorant, the marine bird Phalacrocorax capensis of the Phalacrocoracidae; trek-duiker, see duiker sense 2 b i;
Cape cow obsolete, see quotations;
Cape dikkop, see dikkop sense 1 a i;
Cape dune molerat, see molerat sense 2;
Cape ebony, either of two tree species, (a) Heywoodia lucens of the Euphorbiaceae; (b) Euclea pseudebenus of the Ebenaceae;
Cape fox, the mammal Vulpes chama of the Canidae;
Cape francolin, the game bird Francolinus capensis of the Phasianidae;
Cape fur seal, the seal Arctocephalus pusillus of the Otariidae;
Cape gannet, the malgas, Morus capensis; also attributive;
Cape golden mole, see golden mole sense b;
Cape grysbok, see grysbok;
Cape hare, the hare Lepus capensis of the Leporidae; vlakte haas, see vlakte sense 2;
Cape hartebeest, see hartebeest noun sense b;
Cape heath obsolete, a collective name for various species of heath-like plants indigenous to the Cape Peninsula;
Cape hen, the white-chinned petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis of the Procellariidae;
Cape holly, the tree Ilex mitis of the Aquifoliaceae;
Cape honeysuckle, the tecoma, Tecomaria capensis;
Cape horse, a hardy horse bred predominantly from Oriental and English stock, from which two indigenous breeds, the Boerperd and the Basotho pony, were developed;
Cape hunting dog, the wild dog (see wild sense b), Lycaon pictus;
Cape hyacinth, berg lily (see berg sense 1 b ii);
Cape jasmine, also Cape jassamine, Cape jessamine, any of several sweet-scented flowering plants of the genus Gardenia; also called katjiepiering;
Cape laburnum, the plant Crotalaria capensis of the Fabaceae;
Cape lark obsolete, the kalkoentjie (sense 1), Macronyx capensis;
Cape lilac, (a) the syringa (sense a), Melia azedarach; (b) the deurmekaarbos (see deurmekaar sense 2), Ehretia rigida;
Cape lion, an extinct subspecies of lion, Panthera leo melanochaites;
Cape lobster, crayfish;
Cape mahogany, either of two tree species, (a) Natal mahogany sense (a), see Natal sense b; (b) stinkwood sense a; its wood;
Cape marigold, Namaqualand daisy;
Cape molerat, see molerat sense 2;
Cape mountain zebra, see mountain zebra sense (a) at mountain;
Cape otter (now usually Cape clawless otter), the otter Aonyx capensis of the Mustelidae;
Cape ox obsolete, Afrikander noun sense 4;
Cape parrot, the endangered parrot Poicephalus robustus of the Psittacidae;
Cape partridge, see partridge sense 1 b;
Cape pheasant, see pheasant sense b;
Cape pigeon, the mottled black and white Pintado petrel, Daption capense of the Procellariidae;
Cape pondweed, waterblommetjie sense a;
Cape Riesling, Riesling sense 1;
Cape robin, the common garden bird Cossypha caffra of the Turdidae; Jan Frederik;
Cape saffron, (a) the plant Sutera atropurpurea of the Scrophulariaceae; (b) the tree Cassine peragua of the Celastraceae;
Cape sandalwood, see sandalwood ;
Cape sheep obsolete, frequently with qualifying word, large-tailed Cape sheep, fat-tailed sheep, see fat-tailed sense a;
Cape sparrow, the sparrow Passer melanurus; mossie (sense 1 a);
Cape tiger, the tiger (sense 1), Panthera pardus;
Cape trumpet flower, the tecoma, Tecomaria capensis;
Cape vulture, the endangered vulture Gyps coprotheres of the Accipitridae; also called aasvoel (sense a);
Cape wagtail, the commonest and most widely distributed of the southern African wagtails, Motacilla capensis, noted for its lack of fear of humans; also called quickstertje;
Cape walnut, (a) stinkwood sense a; (b) boerboon;
Cape wigeon obsolete, the teal Anas capensis of the Anatidae ;
Cape willow ?obsolete, the tree Salix capensis of the Salicaceae .
1989 Your Gardening Questions Answered (Reader’s Digest Assoc.) 333Ekbergia, Ekbergia capensis...Also known as Cape ash.
1993 L. Brown in House & Leisure Dec. 77In Africa tree and roof may be one and the same. A giant Cape ash is the traditional heart of this thoroughly modern dwelling.
1961 Palmer & Pitman Trees of S. Afr. 262The Cape beech or boekenhout is one of the most variable of all South African trees.
1984 A. Wannenburgh Natural Wonder of Sn Afr. 94Some species — including white pear,..Cape beech and Cape holly — are among the main trees in most Outeniqualand forest types.
1951 N.L. King Tree-Planting 66Buxus macowani (Cape box),..A small and extremely slow-growing tree with small shiny leaves.
1961 Palmer & Pitman Trees of S. Afr. 196The Cape box occupies a unique position among South African trees for its timber is one of the very few exported from the Union.
1731 G. Medley tr. of P. Kolben’s Present State of Cape of G.H. II. 109A Cape-Buffalo is enrag’d at the Sight of red cloth, and at the Discharge of a Gun near him.
1910 A.B. Lamont Rural Reader 82These strong shoulders and short horns are still seen in the Cape buffalo.
1984 A. Wannenburgh Natural Wonder of Sn Afr. 97Red hartebeest, bontebok, Cape buffalo and spotted hyena disappeared from the coastal plains.
1992 C. Stuart in Afr. Wildlife Vol.46 No.6, 279Most of the imported animals are red forest buffalo..or red forest buffalo/Cape buffalo hybrids...This has serious implications for pure Cape buffalo stocks in South Africa.
1949 L.G. Green In Land of Afternoon 72Australia grows Cape Bulbs in huge quantities.
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 186Cape bulbs, A general term formerly commonly used in literature to indicate those groups of the more showy of the native monocotyledonous plants, chiefly belonging to the families Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Haemadoraceae and Iridaceae.
1795 M.A. Parker Voy. round World 141To those who are amateurs of birds, I can, from experience, recommend the Cape Canary, the plumage of which is much like our green linnet.
1867 E.L. Layard Birds of S. Afr. 201The Cape canary is a common bird throughout the colony, congregating in flocks on the open and ploughed lands, and feeding on grains and seeds of all kinds.
1890 A. Martin Home Life 18The Cape canary is a greenish bird, with a very pretty soft note, quite different from the piercing screech of his terrible yellow brother in English homes.
1940 Baumann & Bright Lost Republic 234There were lots of little birds that we caught in traps..but none, except the Cape canary, could sing nicely.
1983 K.B. Newman Newman’s Birds 436Cape Canary, Serinus canicollis...Song a series of loud, rolling warbles and trills.
1815 J. Mackrill Diary. 120The Shrub called the Cape Cedar is the Cupressus Iuniperoides.
1880 S.W. Silver & Co.’s Handbk to S. Afr. 125They are patches of Cape Cedar..and this is the only locality in which the tree is found.
1904 D.E. Hutchings in Agric. Jrnl of Cape of G.H. Feb. 2In size and appearance the Cape Cedar much resembles Cedrus atlantica...The Cape Cedar produces an abundance of good seed and is easily propagated.
1971 J.A. Marsh in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. III. 134Cedar, Clanwilliam. Cape (pencil) cedar.
1912 E. London Dispatch 12 Apr. 7 (Pettman)It is very seldom that the Cape chestnut and the Wild fig become altogether devoid of leaves.
1951 N.L. King Tree-Planting 66Calodendrum capensis, (Cape Chestnut), A large deciduous tree which bears masses of pink flowers in summer.
1991 Ornamental Trees & Shrubs of Afr. (calendar)Calodendrum capense — literally ‘the beautiful tree of the Cape’ — the Wild, or Cape Chestnut — was nominated as tree of the year in 1989.
1910 F.W. Fitzsimons Snakes of Sn Afr. 74The Cape Cobra (Naia flava)..is by far the commonest species of Cobra inhabiting South Africa.
1943 B. Adams in Outspan 27 Aug. 32As I looked down to where I would land (I was in the air) I saw a five-foot yellow Cape cobra.
1963 S.H. Skaife Naturalist Remembers 114The Cape Cobra is a more dangerous reptile to tackle than the puff adder.
1988 M. Branch Explore Cape Flora 37The Cape cobra may be yellow, brown or black. It is fast moving and usually retreats down a hole or under rocks.
1906 Stark & Sclater Birds of S. Afr. IV. 6‘Cape Cormorant’ of some authors.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 109Cape cormorant, Graculus capensis, Gray.
1969 J.R. Grindley Riches of Sea 92Vast numbers of sea birds occur in the seas off South Africa and nest on isolated islands near the coast...The commonest species are Cape cormorants (Phalacrocorax demersus).
1987 R. Crawford in Conserva Oct. 6The Cape cormorant is another species that breeds only along the Southern African coast...Cape cormorants often feed in large flocks on dense shoals of small fish in near-surface waters.
1896 R. Wallace Farming Indust. of Cape Col. 255The Cape Cow, bred in the Cape Peninsula, belongs to a mixed breed famous for milking qualities.
1910 A.B. Lamont Rural Reader 88The Cape cow is the result of a combination of breeds, the hardy Afrikander qualities being combined with the characteristics of the Friesland, the Ayrshire, the Jersey, and other milking breeds.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 110Cape ebony, Both Euclea pseudebenus and Heywoodia lucens are so named.
1957 L.G. Green Beyond City Lights 10The man spoke fondly of the Knysna evergreens, the scarlet-flowering kaffirboom of the Amatola range,..the Cape ebony and Cape mahogany.
1961 Palmer & Pitman Trees of S. Afr. 137Euclea pseudebenus, the heartwood of which yields the jet-black, fine-grained, and durable wood known as Cape ebony, is confined almost entirely to the water courses of the north-west Cape and South West Africa.
1951 A. Roberts Mammals 200The Cape Fox is not ordinarily a destructive animal..and seldom does any harm to domestic small stock.
1985 C. Walker Signs of Wild 49Cape Fox,..The only true fox to be found in southern Africa.
1988 A. Hall-Martin et al. Kaokoveld 32The Cape fox is more secretive and more strictly nocturnal than either the aardwolf or bat-eared fox.
1971 Evening Post 12 June (Weekend Mag.) 1He also breeds the Cape francolin, the Free State Swainson..and the Orange River francolin.
1985 G.L. Maclean Roberts’ Birds of Sn Afr. 175Cape Francolin...Distribution: Winter rainfall area..Status: Common resident.
1911 E. London Dispatch 7 Sept. 5 (Pettman)Three young examples of the Cape sea-lion or fur-seal (Otaria pusilla).
1958 L.G. Green S. Afr. Beachcomber 139Cape fur seals are not so amenable to training as other species.
1990 Skinner & Smithers Mammals of Sn Afr. Subregion 525Uncontrolled exploitation of the Cape fur seal which continued late into the 19th century led to the diminution of numbers.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 111Cape gannet, Sula capensis.
1936 E.L. Gill First Guide to S. Afr. Birds 186Malgas, Cape gannet...This is the gannet of the South African guano islands, on..which it breeds in crowded acres, producing a substantial proportion of the annual harvest of guano.
1988 R.A. Lubke et al. Field Guide to E. Cape Coast 267There is a large Cape Gannet colony on Bird Island.
1810 G. Barrington Acct of Voy. 282They have the Cape hare.
1853 F.P. Fleming Kaffraria 66It is the well-known Lepus-Capensis, or Cape hare, and its common local cognomen among the Dutch is the Vlakte Haas.
c1936 S. & E. Afr. Yr Bk & Guide 1101The Cape hare is light brown and somewhat smaller than the English hare.
1990 Skinner & Smithers Mammals of Sn Afr. Subregion 171Apart from the fact that the original specimen..came from the Cape of Good Hope, the Cape hare is by no means associated particularly with this part of Africa.
1852 A.W. Cole Cape & Kafirs 30Land covered with an innumerable variety of Cape heaths in full bloom.
1868 W.H. Harvey Genera of S. Afr. Plants 216Erica,..A vast genus of over 400 species, the greater number of which are South African, and well known in European gardens as ‘Cape Heaths’.
1893 Brown’s S. Afr. 149This part of the country may be regarded as the natural home of the Cape heaths.
1775 Dalrymple in Phil. Trans. of Royal Soc. LXVIII. 408An uncommon birdlike Cape hen.
1809 ‘G. Valentia’ Voy. & Trav. I. 50Cape hens have appeared, and very large flights of birds.
1867 E.L. Layard Birds of S. Afr. 360The ‘Cape Hen’ is a constant resident in Table Bay, though the majority leave us at one season of the year to breed.
1937 M. Alston Wanderings 27The Cape Hen..with its albatross-like flight..swept into the bay and away again.
1958 L.G. Green S. Afr. Beachcomber 105The Cape hen, a very common black petrel with a white bill and chin.
1985 G.L. Maclean Roberts’ Birds of Sn Afr. 22Whitechinned Petrel (Cape Hen).
1917 R. Marloth Dict. of Common Names of Plants 40Holly, Cape, Ilex mitis. A stately tree with glossy foliage, from Table Mountain to the Drakensberg and beyond.
1957 L.G. Green Beyond City Lights 12It was the show piece of a ‘fairy glen’ filled with tree ferns, Cape holly and red alder.
1883 M.A. Carey-Hobson Farm in Karoo 141They had brought in from the wood some branches of a beautiful scarlet flowering shrub which George called the Cape Honeysuckle.
1951 N.L. King Tree-Planting 71Tecomaria capensis, (Cape honeysuckle),..Bears masses of large, brick-red flowers in spring. Also used as a climber.
1990 M. Hayter in Flying Springbok July 119Indigenous blue plumbago and bright Cape honeysuckle sprawl in the shade of coral trees, wild figs and oaks.
1804 R. Renshaw Voy. to Cape of G.H. 56The Cape-horses are small, but remarkably swift.
1837 ‘N. Polson’ Subaltern’s Sick Leave 164The Cape horses are the quietest and most gregarious in their habits I have ever seen. Kickers and biters are almost unknown.
1882 J. Nixon Among Boers 33Cape horses have a wonderful amount of endurance. They will go through work which will knock an English horse up in three days.
1973 J. Meintjes Voortrekkers 106This was a formidable band of men, firmly seated on their Cape horses, their rifles on their backs.
1990 J. Theron in Farmer’s Weekly 20 Apr. (Sporting Horse) 13Cape farmers kept on breeding with their original Oriental stock and a distinct inbred Cape Horse emerged that was renowned world wide as a military mount.
1887 S.W. Silver & Co.’s Handbk to S. Afr. 169Another very remarkable animal is the Cape Hunting Dog (Lycaon pictus)..which combines to a great extent the structure of the dog and hyaena.
1963 S. Cloete Rags of Glory 378Packs of Cape hunting dogs — yellow, marked irregularly with black and white, their bat ears pricked — galloped over the veld in pursuit of anything they could kill.
1990 Skinner & Smithers Mammals of Sn Afr. Subregion 429Often referred to as the Cape hunting dog, there seems no good reason why Cape should be retained as the species has a wide distribution in Africa south of the Sahara...Hunting dog is acceptable, but wild dog is widely used and well entrenched.
1993 House & Leisure Oct. 126Galtonia (Cape Hyacinth or berg lily) and St. Joseph’s lilies.
1760 Ellis in Phil. Trans. of Royal Soc. LI. 932The Cape Jasmine..is the most rare and beautiful shrub, that has yet been introduced into the European gardens.
1776 J. Schaw Jrnl of Lady of Quality (1921) 246We were admiring a row of cape jessamine, which even now is covered with flowers.
1804 J. Barrow Trav. II. 82The Gardenia Thunbergia, or the wild Cape Jessamine, being in the height of its blossom, gave out so powerful a scent, that, in the evening, it could be felt [sic] at the distance of several miles.
1822 T. Philipps Philipps, 1820 Settler (1960) 117A thick shrubbery of geraniums, Cape Jassamine, and Palma Christi.
1879 Mrs Hutchinson In Tents in Tvl 27Cape Jasmines, looking like large hollies, grow in the bush, their white starlike flowers tipping their dark glossy branches.
1971 Horticultural Terms (Dept of Nat. Educ.) 34Cape jasmine, (Gardenia, Gardenia jasminoides).
1973 Weekend Post 28 Apr. 6The Crotalaria capensis is the well known Cape Laburnum, which is a much daintier plant that becomes covered with butter-yellow flowers in spring.
1991 H. Hutchings in Weekend Post 23 Feb. (Leisure) 7By using some of the faster-growing kinds like..Calpurnia (Cape laburnum)..create a micro-climate favourable for the cultivation of the others.
1821 C.I. Latrobe Jrnl of Visit 562Cape-lark, Alauda Capensis.
1838 J.E. Alexander Exped. into Int. I. 160The Cape lark whirred aloft, and dropt to the ground with its melancholy note.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 111Cape lark, Macronix capensis.
1868 W.H. Harvey Genera of S. Afr. Plants 49M[elia] Azedarach..the ‘Cape Lilac’ or ‘Pride of China’, is cultivated throughout the colony, and partly naturalized.
1906 B. Stoneman Plants & their Ways 31In Cassia and the Cape Lilac they (sc. lenticels) extend across the stem.
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 187Cape lilac, Ehretia rigida...The plants bear masses of lilac to lilac-blue flowers on drooping branches and in general appearance the plants..are suggestive of the European lilac.
1987 F. Von Breitenbach Nat. List of Indigenous Trees 171Ehretia rigida,..Puzzle Bush, Cape Lilac.
1951 L.G. Green Grow Lovely 143The Cape lion has vanished from the Cape almost without trace...[It] seems to have been a sub-species, larger than the northern lion and with a black mane.
1976 A.R. Willcox Sn Land 113In one of the Robberg caves was found a lion’s shoulder blade (from its size probably from the extinct Cape lion).
1987 T.F.J. Van Rensburg Intro. to Fynbos 51The bluebuck, quagga and Cape Lion have long been extinct.
1989 D. Day Encycl. of Vanished Species 177The last Cape Lion sighted in Cape Province itself was killed in 1858, but the last of the subspecies was hunted down and shot by General Bisset in Natal, in 1865.
1795 C.R. Hopson tr. of C.P. Thunberg’s Trav. I. 240The Cape lobster (Cancer arctos)..has no large claws and is craggy all over, and covered with erect prickles. It has a strong and not very agreeable taste.
1902 H.J. Duckitt Hilda’s Diary of Cape Hsekeeper 47‘Crayfish,’ or ‘Kreeft,’ is also plentiful all through the summer. We also call it ‘Cape lobster.’
1913 W.W. Thompson Sea Fisheries of Cape Col. 51The ‘Cape lobster’, as it is sometimes called, although it does not possess the huge claw for which its European congener is so famous, is a most valuable asset of the Cape fishing industry.
1990 S. Gray in Staffrider Vol.9 No.1, 50Mounds of yellow rice, studded with whole abalones, Red Romans, bordered by mussels...A Cape lobster on top.
1843 R. Godlonton in J.C. Chase Cape of G.H. (1967) 48The Cape mahogany, or stinkwood, is not found in Albany.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 112Cape mahogany, Trichilia emetica. The flowers of this tree which open in November are strongly scented.
1929 J. Stevenson-Hamilton Low-Veld 37The umkudhlu, or Cape mahogany tree (Trichilia emetica) does not attain the height of the umtoma, about thirty feet being its limit in the Low-Veld.
1984 S. Afr. Panorama Feb. 38One of the most beautiful of all indigenous trees is the Cape Mahogany (rooi-essenhout) Trichilia emetica.
1971 Farmer’s Weekly 12 June 55It is called the African Daisy, Cape Daisy, Cape Marigold or Star of the Veld.
1900 W.L. Sclater Mammals of S. Afr. I. 108The Cape otter..is often found near the sea, in places where there are no streams.
1918 S.H. Skaife Animal Life in S. Afr. 266The Cape otter is a large dark-brown animal found only on the banks of streams and lakes.
1973 C.M. Van der Westhuizen in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. VIII. 403The giant Cape or clawless otter (Aonyx capensis) is the largest of all Old World otters.
1990 Skinner & Smithers Mammals of Sn Afr. Subregion 446Two species occur on the continent, the Cape clawless otter, A. capensis, and the Zaire clawless otter, A. congica.
1807 Afr. Court CalendarThe heavy draught work of the colony is chiefly performed by oxen. The Cape ox is distinguished by his long legs, high shoulders, and large horns.
1821 C.I. Latrobe Jrnl of Visit 561Cape-ox is a variety of Bos Taurus.
1921 H.J. Mandelbrote tr. of O.F. Mentzel’s Descr. of Cape of G.H. I. 59The Cape oxen are more suited for this purpose than horses, and when the Hottentots trek from place to place large caravans of oxen can be seen laden with huts and various utensils.
1931 Guide to Vertebrate Fauna of E. Cape Prov. (Albany Museum) I. 168Poicephalus robustus, Cape Parrot...Occurs in coastal and inland forests.
1970 O.P.M. Prozesky Field Guide to Birds of Sn Afr. 148Cape Parrot,..This robust parrot is the largest in Southern Africa.
1991 E. Koch in Weekly Mail 15 Mar. (Suppl.) 15Rare birds that nest in the forests include the Cape parrot, Cape barn owl, the extremely vulnerable ground hornbill and the mangrove kingfisher.
1798 S.H. Wilcocke tr. of J.S. Stavorinus’s Voy. to E. Indies II. 31We saw..the birds called ‘cape pigeons’.
1853 W. Rabone in A. Rabone Rec. of Pioneer Family (1966) 43Some Cape pigeons flew round the ship all day...They are beautifully speckled black and white, about the size of a pigeon.
1878 T.J. Lucas Camp Life & Sport 13We left St. Helena and had now reached the zone frequented by the beautiful Cape pigeon, with its butterfly flight and handsomely speckled wings, flitting restlessly and unceasingly in our wake.
1906 Stark & Sclater Birds of S. Afr. IV. 486The Cape Pigeon is one of the commonest of the Petrels found in Cape seas...To the east of Table Bay the Cape Pigeon is apparently a good deal less plentiful.
1985 G.L. Maclean Roberts’ Birds of Sn Afr. 15Pintado Petrel (Cape Pigeon)..Daption capense.
1982 Fox & Norwood Young Food from Veld 93Aponogeton distachyos,..Common names: English — Cape asparagus, Cape pond weed, water onion.
1990 Menu, Dept of Nat. EducationPumpkin Fritters, Cape Pondweed Stew, Stewed Fruit.
1988 D. Hughes et al. Complete Bk of S. Afr. Wine 98The grapes and the juice of Cape riesling have to be carefully handled, as this cultivar is particularly prone to oxidation which causes a slight browning of the wine...Not only are Cape Riesling wines delightful to drink when young, but with selected plant material, fruit of optimum ripeness, and expert wine making, wines of special quality, which have good ageing potential, can be produced.
1867 E.L. Layard Birds of S. Afr. 132This is the Cape ‘robin’, and decidedly deserves the name. It is common in all the gardens..pouring out a short, robin-like song.
1923 Haagner & Ivy Sketches of S. Afr. Bird-Life 170The commonest member of the Robin-Chats is the ‘Cape’ species (Cossypha caffra) called the Cape Robin or Jan Fredric.
1960 J. Cope Tame Ox 88Voices answered from the bush, quietly, like the note of the Cape robin.
1988 J. Huntly in Saturday Star 9 July (Weekend) 20The piles of cut branches also attracted many white-eyes,..Cape robin and a few others.
1897 Edmonds & Marloth Elementary Botany 162The flowers of L. crocea are called Cape-saffron (Geele bloemetjes).
1906 B. Stoneman Plants & their Ways 260L. crocea is called ‘Cape Saffron’ (Geele bloemetjies).
1949 L.G. Green In Land of Afternoon 51Chest complaints are often treated with a dagga tincture, or geelblommetjie tea (Cape saffron) or Protea syrup.
1987 F. Von Breitenbach Nat. List of Indigenous Trees 414Cassine peragua..C. capensis,..Cape Saffron, Bastard Saffron.
1731 G. Medley tr. of P. Kolben’s Present State of Cape of G.H. II. 65The most remarkable Thing in the Cape-Sheep is the Length and Thickness of their Tails; the Tail of a Cape-Sheep weighing from 15 to 20 pounds.
1790 tr. of F. Le Vaillant’s Trav. II. 80The sheep which the savages breed in the eastern parts are of a species known under the name of the Cape sheep.
1833 S. Afr. Almanac & Dir. 195The old prejudice which formerly existed in favor of the common large tailed Cape sheep is fast disappearing before the indubitable evidence..of the superiority of Woolled Sheep.
1833 Graham’s Town Jrnl 18 Apr. 2Many are procuring cross-bred rams, and the ‘large-tailed’ Cape sheep seems gradually losing ground in their estimation.
1834 W.H.B. Webster Narr. of Voy. to Sn Atlantic Ocean 269Every one has heard of the immense tails of the Cape sheep, but the formation of them is not so well known. They consist of a mass of very nice sweet fat.
1852 A.W. Cole Cape & Kafirs 28Cape sheep in general are very extraordinary animals. They have no wool, but a sort of coarse shaggy hair, and in shape strongly resemble goats.
1891 H.J. Duckitt Hilda’s ‘Where Is It?’ p.ixThe tail of the native Cape sheep — which is composed entirely of fat..— when minced and melted out, supplies the Cape housewife with a very good substitute for lard.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 115Cape sheep, A parti-coloured, lop-eared animal, with a large proportion of rough, wiry, brown hair among its wool.
1958 L.G. Green S. Afr. Beachcomber 90A century ago farmers in the district were selling a pure oil, made from the tails of Cape sheep.
1905 W.L. Sclater in Flint & Gilchrist Science in S. Afr. 138The next family, the true Finches (Fringillidae) is not a dominant one in South Africa. It includes the Cape Sparrow (Passer arcuatus) which, though closely resembling the familiar English bird in appearance and ways, is really distinct, its back being cinnamon-red without any traces of the darker brown streaks characteristic of the European form.
1966 E. Palmer Plains of Camdeboo 196Here it (sc. the English house sparrow) is on Cranemere, occupying the traditional homes of the swallows, ousting our own Cape sparrows from their old territory about the house.
1993 A. Whitlock in Weekend Post 19 June 3Last month, Bob the Cape sparrow began venturing further away from the Schumann family home, but soon ran into difficulties when well-meaning but misguided people caged him when he visited their home.
1829 C. Rose Four Yrs in Sn Afr. 27The beautiful spotted form of the Cape tiger is sometimes to be met with in the dusk, gliding through the thicket.
1834 T. Pringle Afr. Sketches 158We had once heard the peculiar growl, or gurr of the Cape tiger (or leopard).
1877 R.M. Ballantyne Settler & Savage 63The more timid of the settlers..see an elephant, a buffalo, or a Cape ‘tiger’ in every bank and stump and stone.
1887 S.W. Silver & Co.’s Handbk to S. Afr. 191Elephants and Cape tigers (leopards) may..both be found in the Colony. The latter have their homes in the recesses of the mountains.
1986 J. & I. Rudner tr. of Carl Peter Thunberg 1772–5 278The Cape tyger is small, and about the size of a dog.
1844 J. Backhouse Narr. of Visit 251Here I first saw in blossom, that beautifully scarlet-flowered climber, the Cape Trumpet-flower, Tecoma capensis, which is very abundant in bushy places in Caffraria.
1849 Wesleyan-Meth. Mag. V. i. 61Here, also, is a beautiful climber, bearing scarlet flowers, called the Cape trumpet-flower; (tecoma capensis).
1966 C.A. Smith Common Names 189Cape trumpet flower, Tecomaria capensis.
1936 E.L. Gill First Guide to S. Afr. Birds 133Cape Vulture,..This is the vulture of the Cape Province...Its general colour is a pale hoary brown, the quills nearly black.
1984 Daily Dispatch 9 May 1The Department of Nature Conservation..reported that the 42 dead vultures found on a farm in the Elliot district have been identified as the endangered Cape Vulture.
1990 W. & N. Dennis in Personality 3 Sept. 49Because of its huge wingspan and weight, the Cape vulture needs considerable space for its running take-offs and landings.
1822 W.J. Burchell Trav. I. 30In most countries there are some few birds to which man has allowed the privilege of approaching him without molestation...At the Cape, the familiarity of..the Cape wagtail is greatly owing to the same cause.
1970 O.P.M. Prozesky Field Guide to Birds of Sn Afr. 260Cape Wagtail, One of the tamest and most familiar birds in South Africa.
1990 Conserva May 18The dramatic drop in hoopoe and Cape-wagtail populations was noticed in time.
1893 H.A. Bryden Gun & Camera 405A very near relative of the red-billed teal..is the Cape wigeon (Mareca capensis).
1906 Stark & Sclater Birds of S. Afr. IV. 139The Cape Widgeon..appears to be everywhere a scarce bird and to have been but seldom met with.
1940 A. Roberts Birds of S. Afr. 37Notonetta capensis Cape wigeon.
1856 A. Wilmot Diary (1984) 26As for monkeys we saw plenty in the mimosas and Cape willows lining the road.
1913 C. Pettman Africanderisms 116Cape willow, Salix capensis, growing upon the banks of rivers and streams in all parts of the Colony.
1961 Palmer & Pitman Trees of S. Afr. 199The most common wild willow in South Africa is Salix capensis...The Cape willow varies in height from a bush to a tree 30 feet high.
1977 E. Palmer Field Guide to Trees of Sn Afr. 81Wild Willow, Salix capensis..Cape willow.
b. Products originating from (or manufactured at) the Cape:
Cape aloe obsolete except in historical contexts, a pharmaceutical product obtained by tapping and drying the juice of the plant Aloe ferox;
Cape beer obsolete;
Cape biltong, see bokkem;
Cape diamond, a name used in the grading of diamonds for a stone with a yellowish colour (see also sense 3 below);
Cape dop, see dop noun sense 2 c;
Cape furniture, especially in the phrase old Cape furniture, furniture made during previous centuries, usually of indigenous woods, in a style blending Dutch and English tradition; see also sense 3 below, and Cape Dutch adjectival phrase sense 2 b;
Cape Madeira obsolete except in historical contexts, a sweet dessert wine similar in type to Madeira; see also Cape wine;
Cape ruby, the semi-precious garnet, often found in association with diamonds;
Cape silver, silverware dating from c1730 onwards; also attributive;
Cape wagon historical, a large, loosely-constructed transport wagon, drawn by either horses or oxen;
Cape white, a white diamond.
1798 S.H. Wilcocke tr. of J.S. Stavorinus’s Voy. to E. Indies II. 84The Cape aloe is more transparent, and equal, if not superior, in quality, to those sorts, sold under the denominations of aloe succotrine, and aloe hepatica.
1861 P.B. Borcherds Auto-Biog. Mem. 16In 1761, he produced the first sample..of Cape aloes, extracted on his farm at Swellendam.
1926 P.W. Laidler Tavern of Ocean 141Cape aloe was exported to London, but was not in very great demand.
1824 Tariff of Stamps in Stat. Law of Cape of G.H. (1862) 75Privileges and Licences..Licence for brewing Cape beer, d.o. 600 Rds.
1831 S. Afr. Almanac & Dir. 57Licence for Auctioneers...Brewing Cape Beer 600 — Retailing Cape Beer 133,16.
1883 ‘A Cape Colonist’ Cape Malays 7Malays are..as a rule sober, consuming sometimes Cape beer, inasmuch as their religion forbids them to take any intoxicating drinks.
1926 P.W. Laidler Tavern of Ocean 27Four years later it was publicly notified that Jan de Wacht, burger, was to have the sole right to brew Cape beer of as much malt and hops as the Company might be able to supply him with.
1876 F. Boyle Savage Life 21In every digging known, large stones are apt to be ‘coloured’ or ‘off-colour’, and as we turned out so many of them our Cape diamonds early got a bad reputation.
1959 L.E. Van Onselen Cape Antique Furn. 20This foot is often found supporting Cape furniture and does not resemble any foot of overseas origin.
1965 M.G. Atmore (title)Cape Furniture.
1991 D. Galloway in Weekend Argus 26 Jan. 18Most of the old Cape furniture, from beds and dressers to kists and riempie chairs, was collected from second-hand shops and homes and restored by Jolene.
1764 Mrs Kindersley Letters (1777) 57The vintage is in autumn which is about March and April, when a considerable quantity of wine is made; the white they call Cape Madeira.
c1795 D. Campbell in G.M. Theal Rec. of Cape Col. (1897) I. 137A white Wine called Cape Madeira,..the quality is somewhat between the Teneriffe and Madeira wines.
1804 R. Percival Acct of Cape of G.H. 187The next wine in estimation to the Constantia is a kind of Muscadel, or as they call it here Cape Madeira. The colour of this wine is a deep violet, and the appearance thick and muddy.
1847 ‘A Bengali’ Notes on Cape of G.H. 89The wines from the Fransche Hoek, Paarl, and Drakenstein are from the Muscadel, a green grape, and are known in exportation under the deservedly unpopular names of ‘Cape Sherry’, and ‘Cape Madeira’.
1920 K.M. Jeffreys tr. of Memorandum of Commissary J.A. de Mist 204The Cape grapes..produce, besides the universally famous Constantia wines, various other kinds of very healthy and delicious wines, known under the names of Cape Madeira, Cape Malaga, medicinal wine, steen wine, vintint and others.
1950 M. Masson Birds of Passage 74The Tulbagh Valley..rich in corn, fruit and grapes, was particularly renowned for pleasant wine known as ‘Cape Madeira’.
1974 A.P. Brink Dessert Wine 85The Cape Governor himself, that fashionable and fastidious gentleman Lord Charles Somerset, expressed his high opinion of Cape Madeira in no uncertain terms!
c1936 S. & E. Afr. Yr Bk & Guide 430The Cape Ruby, or Precious Garnet, common in diamondiferous deposits, are cut in Kimberley.
1968 G. Croudace Black Rose 29Meanwhile, Jeremy had collected a glass full of garnets — the worthless Cape rubies — but not a single diamond with which they are so often associated.
1972 D.J.L. Visser in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. V. 124Pyrope, the magnesium-aluminium garnet, is ruby-red in colour and is found in Southern and Central Africa, together with diamond...It is also known as Cape ruby.
1949 L.G. Green In Land of Afternoon 200Cape silver only began to acquire a special value after Union, when shrewd people from all parts of the country flocked to Cape Town for the Parliamentary session..and heavy buying sent up the prices.
1965 A. Gordon-Brown S. Afr. Heritage II. 16Cape Silver has become of recent years very popular with collectors even though at first sight it may appear plain and uninteresting by comparision with contemporary European silver.
1991 S. Welz in Light Yrs Vol.2 No.3, 11A Cape stinkwood and beefwood armoire..recently sold for R52 000. Examples with more elaborate carving and Cape silver fittings would be expected to sell for far more.
1798 Lady A. Barnard S. Afr. Century Ago (1925) 65The conveyance..was a Cape waggon; any other sort of carriage in this country it is impossible to think of for such an excursion.
1838 J.E. Alexander Exped. into Int. I. 9It is the custom to sing the praises of the Cape waggons, their strength, their great length and pliability, preventing their upsetting;..but I confess I am no friend to the slow three-mile-an-hour progress of this conveyance, and its ‘stick-in-the-mud’ propensities.
1890 A. Martin Home Life 69These Cape waggons, clumsy as they look, are splendidly adapted to the abrupt ups and downs of the country over which they travel.
1928 L.P. Greene Adventure Omnibus 252The Cape Wagon careened from side to side like a derelict in a heavy sea.
1972 A. Scholefield Wild Dog Running 66I could see Filey and the Beggs already aboard another Cape wagon.
1931 G. Beet Grand Old Days 4Seen strange signs and wonders; have conjured up visions of bucketfuls of lovely ‘Cape whites’ of all shapes and sizes, and of priceless worth.
1965 D. Rooke Diamond Jo 87And in Africa the diamonds were waiting for men...They were strewn on the banks of the rivers and hidden in pipes beneath the ground: the glorious Cape whites, the yellows.
3. Elliptical for:
Cape diamond, see sense 2 b above;
Cape furniture (especially in the phrase old Cape), see sense 2 b above;
Cape hides; Cape leather or capeskin, see quotation 1956;
Cape stocks and shares;
Cape wine;
Cape wool.
1884 York Herald (U.K.) 23 Aug. 7Wool Markets...Capes are without improvement.
1884 Pall Mall Gaz. (U.K.) 1 Oct. 5Capes..were practically unsaleable at the beginning of this week.
1916 Farmer’s Weekly 20 Dec. 1518I am certain that for all long combing Capes, at least if there were any, they would easily make a thick penny more than last series.
1921 B.E. Ellis Gloves & Glove Trade 58Real Cape gloves are usually bark-tanned..but many gloves sold as ‘Capes’ are tawed and dyed by the dipping process.
1931 G. Beet Grand Old Days 124It weighed 229¼ carats, in shape a perfect octahedron, and deeply tinged with yellow, and was classed as a second Cape.
c1936 S. & E. Afr. Yr Bk & Guide 464Constantia is the home of the famous wine, once commonly known as ‘Cape’.
1940 G.F.H. Smith GemstonesThe classification adopted for diamonds is as follows: (a) blue-white, (b) white, (c) fine silver Cape, (d) silver Cape, (e) light Cape, (f) Cape, (g) dark Cape, (h) fine light brown, [etc.].
1956 Glossary Leather Terms (British Standards Institution) 7Cape, Originally a soft, grain gloving or clothing leather made from South African hair sheep skin; now any similar leather made from hair sheep skin, but not finished leather made from E.I. native vegetable tanned hair sheep skin.
1957 Handbk for Farmers (Dept of Agric.) III. 226The trade still grades the skins high — many as ‘Capes’.
1965 M.G. Atmore Cape Furn. 230Many dealers in new furniture trade in old furniture as part payment and this may include odd pieces of Cape.
1968 S. Tolansky Strategic Diamond 94Numerous groups of secondary classifications by colour exist. Starting with white, the off-white (usually brown-tinged) are called cape, these merge through various grades to light yellows, then..to orange, then ultimately to opaque black.
1971 J. McClure Steam Pig (1973) 93It was all imbuya or stinkwood from the Knysna forests and the designs solid Early Cape.
1977 Weekend Post 18 June (Suppl.) 2Diamonds occur naturally in five different shapes and nine colours — four of white and five yellow (Cape) — as well as the fancies, like reds, greens and blues.
1987 G. Viney Col. Houses 54The stinkwood and yellowwood cupboard on a stand is Cape, as are the two Cape Louis chairs.
The Cape:A name for a. the Cape of Good Hope; b. in historical contexts. the Cape Colony; the Colony, see Colony; c. the (Western) Cape Province; d. the Cape Peninsula; e. Cape Town. In all senses also called Kaap. Also attributive.
Heywoodia lucens of the Euphorbiaceae;
Euclea pseudebenus of the Ebenaceae;
the syringa (sense a), Melia azedarach;
the deurmekaarbos (see deurmekaar sense 2), Ehretia rigida;
Natal mahogany sense (a), see Natal sense b;
stinkwood sense a; its wood;
the plant Sutera atropurpurea of the Scrophulariaceae;
the tree Cassine peragua of the Celastraceae;
, see sandalwood
the teal Anas capensis of the Anatidae
the tree Salix capensis of the Salicaceae
Derivatives:
Hence Capian  adjective  obsolete, of or pertaining to the Cape; Capeite  noun  obsolete [English suffix -ite denoting (one) connected with or belonging to], Kaapenaar sense 1.
1731 G. Medley tr. of P. Kolben’s Present State of Cape of G.H. II. 9The Reader needs not be told, that the Cape — or Capian-Settlement, as it is sometimes call’d, takes its Name from the Cape, which makes a Part of it...In the Year 1712 the Capian-Colony was..considerably extended.
1731 G. Medley tr. of P. Kolben’s Present State of Cape of G.H. II. 9 [see landdrost sense 1].
Entry Navigation
Cap Classique, noun phrasen. phr.Cape boy, noun phrasen. phr.
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