capisce
Language: English
Part of speech: intj
Pronunciation: ipa: /kəˈpiːʃ/
ipa: /kəˈpiʃ/
rhymes: -iːʃ
Forms: form: capeesh
form: capiche
form: capisch
form: capische
form: capishe
form: coppish
form: kabish
Etymology: Unadapted borrowing from the spoken Neapolitan and Sicilian equivalents of either of the following:
* Italian capisce (literally “he, she, etc., understands”), the third-person singular present indicative form; or
* capisci (literally “you understand”) (possibly with the final vowel dropped or reduced in informal speech), the second-person singular present indicative form;
of capire (“to understand”), from Latin capere, the present active infinitive of capiō (“to capture, catch, seize; to comprehend, understand; etc.”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to grab, seize; to hold”).
Senses: examples: text: "I have a niece." / "No children?" / "Not married." / "What is the problem?" / "I'm single. No wife, no kids. No problem." / "Capisce." / "Yeah, capisce."
ref: 2009, J. Malcolm Garcia, “Encountering Afghanistan”, in The Khaarijee: A Chronicle of Friendship and War in Kabul, Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press, →ISBN, part 1 (Shadows of Home), page 24:
text: "It’s simple. Here's the rules: One of us says 'Never Have I Ever' and finishes the sentence. If you've done whatever the thing is, you drink. Yeah?" / "Capisce." I salute and he laughs.
ref: 2014, Lia Riley, “Talia”, in Upside Down (Off the Map; 1), New York, N.Y.: Forever, Hachette Book Group, published May 2015, →ISBN, page 40:
text: "I just want the father to be around. So you have to return home safe. Capisce?" / "Yeah, capisce."
ref: 2016 May 10, George S. Naas, Finding True Love at 35,000 Feet: The Saga of Emma and John, Lakewood, Colo.: Golden Publishing Company, →ISBN, pages 110–111:
glosses: Used by a listener to confirm that they have understood something said to them: I got it, I heard you, I understand.
examples: text: It's very simple, George, you forget about this whole licensing lawsuit pipe dream of yours or you can forget about your buddy working in my factory for the next couple of years. I will be that angry. Capiche?
ref: 1993, Eric Bogosian, Notes from Underground, New York, N.Y.: Hyperion, →ISBN, Act III, page 138:
text: Detective Brodka: Hey kid, one more thing: if you ever set foot in this store again, you'll be spending Christmas in juvenile hall! Capisce? / Bart: [silently stares in confusion] / Brodka: Well, do you understand? / Bart: Everything except "capisce."
ref: 1995 December 17, Mike Scully, “Marge Be Not Proud” (08:41 from the start), in The Simpsons, season 7, episode 11, spoken by Bart Simpson (Nancy Cartwright), New York, N.Y.: Fox Broadcasting Company, Production Code 3F07:
text: You gotta start respecting Johnny, the way you respect me. Capisce?
ref: 1996 August 31, The Wachowskis, Bound, spoken by Gino Marzzone (Richard Caspar Sarafian), [United States]: Dino de Laurentiis Productions; Spelling Films; PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, →OCLC:
text: I mean, if you were coming into the plant for the long haul, God forbid, then you'd have to think seriously about the money. Capiche?
ref: 2002, Richard Chiappone, “The Chubs”, in Water of an Undetermined Depth, Mechanicsburg, Pa.: Stackpole Books, →ISBN, page 1:
text: That being said, if you hurt my boy I will introduce you to a whole new realm of pain and suffering. We're talking stuff that would make Heironymous Bosch^([sic – meaning Hieronymous]) shit his britches, capisce?
ref: 2005, Jeph Jacques, “All Cards on the Table Please”, in Questionable Content, number 459 (webcomic), archived from the original on 05 Jun 2025:
text: Tape, the Shifty Sticker: And you, origami kid… Be a good goil and run back to Olly. It's past your beddy-bye time, capisce?
ref: 2020 July 17, Intelligent Systems, Paper Mario: The Origami King, Nintendo, via YouTube, level/area: Sea Tower:
glosses: Used by a speaker to confirm that the listener has understood something said to the latter: did you hear me?, get it?, understood?