Definition
To fit inside a space, or to be someone's responsibility or role to do something.
Example
Essa mala não cabe no porta-malas do carro.
Show translation
This suitcase doesn't fit in the car's trunk.
Etymology
From Latin *capere* ("to hold, to contain"), which also gave English "capable" and "capacity." The sense of physical containment in Latin evolved in Portuguese into both the literal "to fit" and the figurative "it falls to someone (to do something)."
Cultural note
Brazilians use *caber* in a very common figurative phrase: **"Não me cabe dizer isso"** ("It's not my place to say that"). This construction — meaning something is or isn't one's role or right — comes up constantly in formal emails, workplace talk, and everyday conversation. Don't confuse it with *saber* (to know): the shapes are similar but the meanings are completely different.