From Middle English capital, borrowed partly from Old French capital and partly from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (in sense “head of cattle”), from caput (“head”) (English cap) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives). Use in trade and finance originated in Medieval economies when a common but expensive transaction involved trading heads of cattle. The noun is from the adjective. In the fourth sense, displaced native Old English hēafodburg, equivalent to head + borough (“city”). Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”. Doublet of cattle and chattel.
Business, Economics, Finance, Insurance, Sciences Money and wealth: the means to acquire or produce goods and services, especially in a non-barter system.
Near-synonym: assets
He does not have enough capital to start a business.
2
Economics, Sciences Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as tools and bulldozers (equipment) and office buildings (structures).
Near-synonym: assets
He pointed out that it takes both labour and capital to produce goods.
3
Government, Politics The capitalist class; investors considered collectively with respect to their societal (economic, political, cultural, etc.) influence.
The markets crashing symbolized capital’s discontent with the tax reforms passed.
He warned us darkly that capital will never be sated.
4
A city designated as a legislative seat by the government or some other authority, often the city in which the government is located; otherwise the most important city within a country or a subdivision of it.
Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America.
The Welsh government claims that Cardiff is Europe’s youngest capital.
4 more examples
Lin Hsiang-ju immediately said to the king of Ch’in, “If Ta-wang wants fifteen cities from Chao, the king of Chao should also get something in return. What about giving him Hsien-yang as a gift?’ Hsien-yang was the capital of Ch’in.1995, Linda Fang, The Chʻi-lin Purse: A Collection of Ancient Chinese Stories, New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, →OL, page 54:
Ladies of yesteryear toured world capitals in sedate linen dresses, but such priggish frumpery hardly presents Americans as the carefree, egalitarian, and sensuous people the viewers of dubbed Baywatch episodes have come to expect.2005, Sharon Grehan, Random Acts of Malice, page 56:
From the ground, Colombo’s port does not look like much.[…] But viewed from high up in one of the growing number of skyscrapers in Sri Lanka’s capital, it is clear that something extraordinary is happening: China is creating a shipping hub just 200 miles from India’s southern tip.2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, archived from the original on 29 Sep 2020, page 52:
State legislative races tend to come cheap, with low turnout and tiny margins despite how state capitals have taken on an ever larger role amid legislative stalemate in Washington, DC. In 2020, a combined total of 46,000 votes determined which party was in majority control in 13 different state legislature chambers across the country.2022 April 5, Edward-Isaac Dovere, “Why these Democrats think 25 state legislative races are the key to securing the 2024 presidential election”, in CNN:
5
The most important city in the field specified.
Hollywood is the film capital, New York the theater capital, Las Vegas the gambling capital.2010 September, Charlie Brennan, "Active Athletes", St. Louis magazine, ISSN 1090-5723, volume 16, issue 9, page 83
6
An uppercase letter.
7
Knowledge; awareness; proficiency.
Interpreters need a good amount of cultural capital in order to function efficiently in the profession.
8
Broadly The chief or most important thing.
capital
adj
Etymology
From Middle English capital, borrowed partly from Old French capital and partly from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (in sense “head of cattle”), from caput (“head”) (English cap) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives). Use in trade and finance originated in Medieval economies when a common but expensive transaction involved trading heads of cattle. The noun is from the adjective. In the fourth sense, displaced native Old English hēafodburg, equivalent to head + borough (“city”). Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”. Doublet of cattle and chattel.
She was a capital housekeeper, and used invisibly to lay out the table in the neatest and handiest manner.1850, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, London: H.G. Bohn, page 395:
“He is a capital fellow,” the Englishman in London had said, “and he has got an awfully pretty wife. […]”1878, Henry James, An International Episode:
Sometimes he laughed heartily as if he heard some capital joke; by degrees this lessened, and he spoke rapidly, but in very low tones.1887, Harriet W. Daly, Digging, Squatting, and Pioneering Life in the Northern Territory of South Australia, page 166:
"He really is a capital fellow, isn't he?" said Stepan Arkadyevitch, when Veslovsky had gone out and the peasant had closed the door after him. "Yes, capital," answered Levin, still thinking of the subject of their conversation just before.1901 [1878], chapter 11, in Constance Garnett, transl., Anna Karenina, translation of Анна Каренина (Anna Karenina) by Leo Tolstoy, part 6:
4
Punishable by, or involving punishment by, death.
capital punishment; capital murder
Neither could the Legiſlature in any thing more conſult the Publick Good, than by providing ſome effectual Remedy againſt this Evil, which in ſeveral Caſes deſerves greater Puniſhment than many Crimes that are capital among us.1709, [Jonathan Swift], A Project for the Advancement of Religion, and the Reformation of Manners. […], London: […] Benj[amin] Tooke, […], →OCLC, pages 53–54:
2 more examples
to put to death a capital offender1649, J[ohn] Milton, ΕΙΚΟΝΟΚΛΆΣΤΗΣ [Eikonoklástēs] […], London: […] Matthew Simmons, […], →OCLC:
Some 1,600 priests were deported, for example, while the total number of capital victims of the military commissions down to 1799 was only around 150.2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin, published 2003, page 517:
5
Uppercase.
One begins a sentence with a capital letter.
6
used to emphasise greatness or absoluteness
You're a genius with a capital G!
He's dead with a capital D!
1 more example
In recent years, much has been made of the lack of new heavyweight male star power in mainstream Hollywood. Talented performers may be everywhere, but Movie Stars, capital M, capital S, are something else.2021 February 9, Christina Newland, “Is Tom Hanks part of a dying breed of genuine movie stars?”, in BBC:
7
Of or relating to the head.
Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise / Expect with mortal pain.1667, John Milton, “Book X”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
From Middle English capital, borrowed partly from Old French capital and partly from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (in sense “head of cattle”), from caput (“head”) (English cap) + -ālis (suffix forming adjectives). Use in trade and finance originated in Medieval economies when a common but expensive transaction involved trading heads of cattle. The noun is from the adjective. In the fourth sense, displaced native Old English hēafodburg, equivalent to head + borough (“city”). Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”. Doublet of cattle and chattel.
1
Dated, Slang used as an expression of approval, satisfaction, or delight.
That's an amazing idea! Capital!
"Capital! And I shall soon get a bonus."1918, Fyodor Dostoevsky, translated by Constance Garnett, White Nights, page 83:
capital
noun
Etymology From Middle English capitale, partly from Old French capital and partly from Late Latin capitellum (“capital or chapiter of a column”), a form of Latin capitulum (“head-like object or structure; chapter”) (whence English capitulum, chapter, and the synonym chapiter (“uppermost part of a column”)), from caput (“head”) + -ulum (diminutive suffix). Doublet of caddie, cadel, cadet, capitellum, and caudillo.
But a great wonder of this chamber, and a marvel to behold, was how the capital of every one of the four-and-twenty pillars was hewn from a single precious stone, carved by the hand of some sculptor of long ago into the living form of a monster: […]1922, E[ric] R[ücker] Eddison, The Worm Ouroboros: A Romance, London: Jonathan Cape […], →OCLC, page 3: