Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
CAPSULE
I. noun see: case
Date: circa 1693
1. a membrane or sac enclosing a body part (as a knee joint or kidney), either of two layers of white matter in the cerebrum, a closed receptacle containing spores or seeds: as, a dry dehiscent usually many-seeded fruit composed of two or more carpels, the spore case of a moss, a shell usually of gelatin for packaging something (as a drug or vitamins), an often polysaccharide envelope surrounding a microorganism, an extremely brief condensation ; outline , survey ,
6. a compact often sealed and detachable container or compartment, a small pressurized compartment or vehicle (as for space flight or emergency escape),
II. transitive verb (capsuled; capsuling)
Date: 1859
to equip with or enclose in a capsule, to condense into or devise in a compact form,
III. adjective
Date: 1938
extremely brief, small and very compact