Past tense of caponise (British spelling): to surgically remove the testicles of a rooster to make it grow larger and taste better for eating.
From capon (a castrated rooster) + -ise (British suffix meaning 'to make'). Capon comes from Latin capō, possibly from Greek koptein meaning 'to cut.' The -ise suffix comes from French -iser.
Medieval and ancient cooks discovered that castrating roosters made them fatter, docile, and more flavorful—so caponising became a huge culinary practice in Europe! This single procedure literally shaped European cuisine and farm practices for over a thousand years.
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