A "capacious" tree?

Brad · Feb 7, 2010

Would it be awkward to say that a certain tree is "capacious" because it holds a lot of water? It seems like capacious is usually applied to large enclosures or wide open spaces, but I am trying to emphasize the amount of empty space within the tree.

"While the Baobab tree appears solid, it is in fact extremely capacious. Within its trunk alone it stores up to 25,000 gallons of water".

alleycat · Feb 7, 2010

I think it would be technically acceptable, but it does seem like an unusual term to apply to a tree.

An alternate would be voluminous.

Or you could rewrite the sentence; something like: While the baobab tree appears solid, much of it's bulk is made up of water. Within its trunk a large baobab can stores up to 25,000 gallons of water. (Offered as an example only.)

Baobab wouldn't be capitalized, by the way.

blacbird · Feb 7, 2010

alleycat said:
Or you could rewrite the sentence; something like: While the baobab tree appears solid, much of it's bulk is made up of water. Within its trunk a large baobab can stores up to 25,000 gallons of water. (Offered as an example only.)

Baobab wouldn't be capitalized, by the way.

And its should have no apostrophe.

I agree, though, that the first sentence of the "baobab" example needs to be rewritten; the word "capacious" comes across as straining to find a fancy term for a simple concept.

caw

LOG · Feb 7, 2010

I doubt most people would recognize the term, so even if it's narrative you should probably use something more common, or maybe poetic.

Sophia · Feb 7, 2010

Brad said:
Would it be awkward to say that a certain tree is "capacious" because it holds a lot of water? It seems like capacious is usually applied to large enclosures or wide open spaces, but I am trying to emphasize the amount of empty space within the tree.

"While the Baobab tree appears solid, it is in fact extremely capacious. Within its trunk alone it stores up to 25,000 gallons of water".

I think the word capacious is fine to use, but it perhaps isn't the best word to use in the context you have. I would expect "While the baobab tree appears solid, it is in fact ..." to be followed by something that is the opposite of what we are led to expect from the first part of that sentence. "Capacious" doesn't quite fit that, as something that appears solid can still have a large capacity (e.g sugar cane, or a sheet of absorbent kitchen paper).

Brad · Feb 7, 2010

Well, a solid object, by definition, can't be capacious.

I was looking for a vocabulary word to fit to this little paragraph, but I guess capacious probably shouldn't be the one.

Deleted member 42 · Feb 7, 2010

It's imprecise. You need to discover what's special about the trunk (the trunk is made of thousands of dense fibers which absorb water). Capacious implies things like roomy, and spacious--and hollow. The Baobab is not hollow.

blacbird · Feb 7, 2010

Maybe "porous". More technically correct. Or use an analogy, like a giant sponge or something. "Capacious" just doesn't work.

caw

Arkie · Feb 7, 2010

Nabokov used capacious in "Speak, Memory," to describe his mother's handbag.

Deleted member 42 · Feb 7, 2010

Arkie said:
Nabokov used capacious in "Speak, Memory," to describe his mother's handbag.

Exactly; keep in mind capacious is cognate with capacitiy. It implies a hollow space, something to be filled. The baobob tree is filled with thick dense closely packed fibrous strands that absorb and retain water.

djf881 · Feb 7, 2010

Brad said:
Would it be awkward to say that a certain tree is "capacious" because it holds a lot of water? It seems like capacious is usually applied to large enclosures or wide open spaces, but I am trying to emphasize the amount of empty space within the tree.

"While the Baobab tree appears solid, it is in fact extremely capacious. Within its trunk alone it stores up to 25,000 gallons of water".

Is it hollow? Or is the water stored in the cells? A vessel can be capacious. Also, in context, it sounds like "capacious" is an antonym of "solid," which it is not.

A "capacious" tree?

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