capital definition - Dictionary

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capital (1)

cap·i·tal [ káppit'l ]

noun (plural cap·i·tals)

Definition:

1. seat of government: a city that is the seat of government of a country, state, or province

2. center of activity: a city that is the center of a particular activity

3. material wealth: material wealth in the form of money or property

4. cash for investment: money that can be used to produce further wealth

5. economic resource: a resource or resources that can be used to generate economic wealth

a waste of human capital

6. advantage: advantage derived from or useful in a particular situation

a powerful senator's seemingly endless political capital

7. wealthy people: the capitalist class considered as a group

capital's influence on government policy

8. net worth: the assets of a business that remain after its debts and other liabilities are paid or deducted

9. linguistics
Same as capital letter ( often used in the plural )

adjective

Definition:

1. linguistics uppercase: describes the form of letters used at the beginning of sentences and names, e.g. A, B, and C as distinct from a, b, and c

a capital D

2. geography politics government: relating to or functioning as a seat of government

a capital city

3. finance of financial capital: relating to or involving financial capital

4. relating to death penalty: involving or incurring punishment by death

5. grave: having extremely serious consequences

a capital blunder that sealed their fate

6. principal: constituting or belonging to the highest category

a national issue of capital importance

7. U.K. ( dated )
Same as excellent

[12th century. Via French < Latin capitalis "of the head" < caput "head"]

Word Usage


	Do not confuse capital with capitol, which has a similar pronunciation. The noun capital means, among other things, "a city that is a nation's or state's seat of government" (Washington, D.C., is our nation's capital). The noun capitol, in lowercase, denotes the building or complex of buildings in which a state legislature sits (visited the Missouri capitol); when capitalized, Capitol refers to the buildings in which the U.S. Congress sits (toured the Capitol on Capitol Hill). Capital can be a noun or an adjective, while capitol is a noun only.