BharatNotes Capitulate
verb (intransitive)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
Antonyms
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.
How This Word Works in UPSC Writing
To surrender or cease resistance, usually on terms set by the other side. In GS2 it is a loaded word, so it should be used where an answer intends the judgement it carries: describing a settlement as capitulation asserts that one side simply gave way. Where the outcome was a negotiated trade-off, concede or compromise are the accurate words and a stronger answer uses them.
Don’t Confuse It With
Capitulate is to surrender on the other side's terms. Concede grants a specific point within a negotiation. Compromise involves movement by both sides. Acquiesce accepts something passively without formal surrender.
Hindi Meaning
आत्मसमर्पण करना (ātmasamarpan karnā).
Common Questions
- What does capitulate mean?
- To surrender or stop resisting, generally accepting terms set by the other party.
- Is capitulation the same as compromise?
- No. Compromise involves movement by both sides. Capitulation means one side gave way on terms the other set.
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