Capitulate

verb (intransitive)

/kəˈpɪtjʊleɪt/

To surrender or cease resisting an opponent or demand, typically on agreed terms; to give in after a struggle. It stresses the complete ending of resistance, whether through negotiated terms or in the face of an irresistible force.

✍️ Usage in a UPSC answer

When a government capitulates to every populist demand rather than upholding fiscal prudence, it mortgages long-term macroeconomic stability for fleeting electoral gains.

Synonyms

surrendersubmityieldsuccumbconcedeacquiesce

Antonyms

resistdefyperseverewithstand

🌱 Word Family

capitulate (v), capitulated (v past), capitulating (v pres.p), capitulation (n), capitulatory (adj)

🔡 Root

Medieval Latin capitulare = to draw up in chapters; Latin capitulum = chapter/heading; Latin caput = head

📜 Etymology

From Medieval Latin capitulare 'to draw up in heads or chapters, arrange conditions', from capitulum 'chapter, heading' (diminutive of caput 'head'). Entered English in the 1590s meaning 'to draw up in articles', shifting to the sense 'surrender on stipulated terms' by the 1680s.

🧠 Memory Hook

Think "capital" + "ate" — a defeated city loses its CAPITAL when its leaders capitulate; or recall the Latin caput "head," as the vanquished bow their HEADS in surrender, signing terms chapter by chapter.

🤝 International Relations 📖 Seen in: India & Its Neighbours — Bilateral Rel...

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