capital

English

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• capitall (obsolete)

Etymology

From Latin capitālis (“of the head”), in sense “head of cattle”, from caput (“head”) (English cap). Use in trade and finance originated in Medieval economies when a common but expensive transaction involved trading heads of cattle.

Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”.

This definition is lacking an etymology or has an incomplete etymology. You can help Wiktionary by giving it a proper etymology.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈkæp.ɪ.təl/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Homophone: capitol

Noun

capital (countable and uncountable, plural capitals)

1. (uncountable, economics) Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures).

   He does not have enough capital to start a business.

2. (uncountable, business, finance) Money and wealth. The means to acquire goods and services, especially in a non-barter system.
3. (countable) 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.
   • 2013 June 8, “The new masters and commanders”, The Economist, volume 407, number 8839, page 52: 

     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.

   Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America.

   The Welsh government claims that Cardiff is Europe’s youngest capital.

4. (countable) The most important city in the field specified.
   • 2010 September, Charlie Brennan, "Active Athletes", St. Louis magazine, ISSN 1090-5723, volume 16, issue 9, page 83:

     Hollywood is the film capital, New York the theater capital, Las Vegas the gambling capital.

5. (countable) An uppercase letter.
6. (countable, architecture) The uppermost part of a column.
7. (uncountable) Knowledge; awareness; proficiency.

   Interpreters need a good amount of cultural capital in order to function efficiently in the profession.

Usage notes

The homophone capitol refers only to a building, usually one that houses the legislative branch of a government, and often one located in a capital city.

Synonyms

• (An uppercase letter): caps (in the plural), majuscule

Antonyms

• (An uppercase letter): minuscule

Translations

capital city — see capital city

money and wealth

• Afrikaans: kapitaal
• Albanian: kapital f
• Arabic: رأسمال m (ra'smaal), رأس مال m (ra's maal)

  Egyptian Arabic: راس المال m (raas elmaal)

• Armenian: կապիտալ (kapital)
• Bulgarian: капитал (bg) m (kapitál)
• Catalan: capital (ca) m
• Cebuano: kapital
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 資本 (zh) (zīběn)

• Czech: kapitál
• Dutch: kapitaal (nl) n
• Estonian: kapital
• Finnish: pääoma (fi)
• French: capital (fr) m
• Galician: capital (gl) f
• Georgian: კაპიტალი (kapitali)
• German: Kapital (de) n
• Greek: κεφάλαιο (el) n (kefálaio)
• Hebrew: הון m (hon)
• Hungarian: tőke (hu)
• Icelandic: höfuðborg (is)
• Ido: kapitalo (io)
• Indonesian: modal (id), kapital (id)

• Irish: caipiteal m
• Italian: capitale (it) m
• Japanese: 資本 (ja) (しほん, shihon)
• Korean: 자본 (ko) (jabon) (資本 (ko))
• Malay: modal
• Malayalam: മൂലധനം (ml) (mūladhanam)
• Manx: bun-argid m
• Maori: moni haupū rawa, moni haupū
• Polish: kapitał (pl) m
• Portuguese: capital (pt) m
• Romanian: capital (ro)
• Romansch: chapital m (Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader), capital m (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran), chapitêl m (Puter)
• Russian: капитал (ru) m (kapitál), состояние (ru) n (sostojánije)
• Scottish Gaelic: airgead-calpa m
• Spanish: capital (es) m
• Swedish: kapital (sv) n
• Tagalog: kabisera, kapital
• Telugu: పెట్టుబడి (te) (peṭṭubaḍi), సంపద (te) (saṃpada)
• Turkish: anapara (tr), anamal (tr), sermaye (tr), kapital (tr)
• Urdu: سرمایہ (ser-mayia)
• Vietnamese: vốn (vi), chính (vi)
• Volapük: katäd (vo)
• Welsh: cyfalaf (cy)

uppercase letter

• Arabic: حرف كبير m (Harf kabiir)
• Armenian: մեծատառ (mecataṙ)
• Bulgarian: главна буква f (glávna búkva)
• Catalan: lletra majúscula f, majúscula f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大寫字母 (zh), 大写字母 (dàxiě zìmǔ)

• Czech: velké písmeno
• Dutch: hoofdletter (nl) f
• Finnish: iso kirjain, versaalikirjain, majuskeli (fi)
• French: majuscule (fr) f
• Georgian: დიდი ასო (didi aso), ასომთავრული (asomt’avruli)
• German: Großbuchstabe (de) m
• Greek: κεφαλαίο (el) n (kefalaío)

• Hungarian: nagybetű (hu)
• Indonesian: huruf besar
• Irish: ceannlitir f
• Italian: maiuscola (it) f
• Japanese: 大文字 (ja) (おおもじ, ōmoji)
• Korean: 대사 (ko) (daesa), 대문자 (ko) (daemunja) (大文字 (ko))
• Maori: pūmatua
• Polish: duża litera (pl) f, wielka litera (pl) f
• Portuguese: letra maiúscula f, maiúscula (pt) f
• Russian: заглавная буква f (zaglávnaja búkva), большая буква f (bol’šája búkva)
• Spanish: mayúscula (es) f
• Swedish: versal (sv), stor bokstav (sv)
• Turkish: büyük harf (tr), büyük (tr)
• Volapük: mayud (vo)

uppermost part of a column

• Bulgarian: капител m (kapitel)
• Catalan: capitell (ca) m
• Czech: hlavice (cs) f
• Dutch: kapiteel (nl) n
• Estonian: kapiteel
• Finnish: kapiteeli (fi)
• French: chapiteau (fr)
• German: Kapitell (de) n
• Greek: κιονόκρανο (el) n (kionókrano)

• Hungarian: oszlopfő
• Italian: capitello (it) m
• Japanese: 柱頭 (ちゅうとう, chūtō)
• Korean: 대문자 (ko) (daemunja)
• Polish: nagłówek (pl) m
• Portuguese: capitel (pt) m
• Russian: капитель (ru) f (kapitél’)
• Spanish: capitel (es) m
• Swedish: kapitäl (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Indonesian: ibukota (1), kapital (2)
• Interlingua: capital (1,2); majuscula, littera majuscule (3)
• Somali: raasumaal (so)

Adjective

capital (not comparable)

1. of prime importance
   • Atterbury

     a capital article in religion

   • I. Taylor

     whatever is capital and essential in Christianity

2. Chief, in a political sense, as being the seat of the general government of a state or nation.

   London and Paris are capital cities.

3. (UK, dated) excellent

   That is a capital idea!

4. Involving punishment by death.
   • Jonathan Swift

     many crimes that are capital among us

   • Milton

     to put to death a capital offender

   • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin 2003, p. 517:

     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.

5. uppercase

   One begins a sentence with a capital letter.

6. Of or relating to the head.
   • Milton

     Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise / Expect with mortal pain.

Antonyms

• (uppercase): lower-case

Translations

of prime importance

• Bulgarian: главен (bg) (glaven), основен (bg) (osnoven)
• Catalan: capital (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 主要的 (zh) (zhǔyào de)

• Dutch: hoofd-, kapitaal (nl)
• Finnish: ensisijainen (fi), pääasiallinen, pää- (in compounds)
• German: Haupt-
• Greek: κεφαλαιώδης (el) (kefalaiódis)

• Italian: capitale (it), principale (it)
• Japanese: 主な (ja) (おもな, omo na), 主要な (ja) (しゅような, shuyō na)
• Korean: 가장 중요한 (gajang jungyohan)
• Portuguese: capital (pt), fundamental (pt)
• Russian: главный (ru) (glávnyj), основной (ru) (osnovnój), капитальный (ru) (kapitálʹnyj)
• Spanish: capital (es)
• Swedish: huvudsaklig (sv)

excellent

• Catalan: excel·lent
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 優秀 (zh), 优秀 (zh) (yōuxiù)

• Dutch: uitstekend (nl), excellent (nl)
• Finnish: mahtava (fi), suurenmoinen, loistava (fi), fantastinen
• French: excellent (fr)
• German: großartig (de)

• Italian: ottimo (it), magnifico (it), eccellente (it), splendido
• Japanese: 優れた (すぐれた, sugureta), 素晴らしい (すばらしい, subarashii)
• Korean: 최고의 (chwigo-ui), 최상의 (chwisang-ui)
• Portuguese: excelente (pt)
• Russian: превосходный (ru) (prevosxódnyj), капитальный (ru) (kapitálʹnyj), отличный (ru) (otlíčnyj)
• Spanish: excelente (es)

involving punishment by death

• Catalan: capital (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 致命的 (zh) (jìmìng de)

• Dutch: dood(straf)
• Finnish: kuolemalla rangaistava, kohtalokas (figuratively)
• French: capital (fr) m, capitale (fr) f
• German: Kapital-

• Italian: capitale (it)
• Japanese: 致命的な (ちめいてきな, chimeiteki na)
• Korean: 사형 (ko) (sahyeong)
• Malayalam: മരണ ശിക്ഷ (maraNa Siksha)
• Portuguese: capital (pt)
• Spanish: capital (es)
• Tagalog: kabisera

uppercase

• Armenian: մեծատառ (mecataṙ)
• Bulgarian: главен (bg) (glaven)
• Catalan: majúscula
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 大寫的, 大写的 (zh) (dàxiě de)

• Dutch: hoofd(letter)
• Finnish: versaali (fi), iso (fi)
• French: majuscule (fr)
• German: Groß-

• Greek: κεφαλαίος (el) (kefalaíos)
• Italian: maiuscolo (it)
• Japanese: 大文字の (ja) (おおもじの, ōmoji no)
• Korean: 어퍼케이스 (eopeokeiseu)
• Portuguese: maiúsculo (pt)
• Russian: заглавный (ru) (zaglávnyj), большой (ru) (bolʹšoj)
• Spanish: mayúscula (es)
• Volapük: mayudik

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables, removing any numbers. Numbers do not necessarily match those in definitions. See instructions at Help:How to check translations.

Translations to be checked

• Interlingua: capital (1); excellente (2)
• Portuguese: capitalm, f (1); excelente m, f (2)

Derived terms

Terms derived from the noun or adjective capital

block capitals capital asset capital goods capitalism

capital punishment capital ship economic capital financial capital

personal capital real capital social capital

Related terms

Terms etymologically related to capital

captain capitulate

capitulation chapiter

chapter

References

• “capital” in Douglas Harper, Online Etymology Dictionary (2001).

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Asturian

Adjective

capital (epicene, plural capitales)

1. capital

Noun

capital f (plural capitales)

1. capital city (city designated as seat of government)

capital m (plural capitales)

1. capital (money)

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Catalan

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin capitālis.

Noun

capital f (plural capitals)

1. capital (city)

Noun

capital m (plural capitals)

1. capital (finance)

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French

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin capitālis.

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ka.pi.tal/

Noun

capital m (plural capitaux)

1. capital (money and wealth)

Adjective

capital m (feminine capitale, masculine plural capitaux, feminine plural capitales)

1. capital (important)

   La peine capitale est abolie en France depuis les années 1980.

Related terms

• capitale
• capitaliser
• capitalisme

Anagrams

• plaçait

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Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin capitālis.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /kɐpiˈtaɫ/

Noun

capital f (plural capitais)

1. (geography) capital city

Noun

capital m (plural capitais)

1. (financial) capital

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowing from French capital, Latin capitālis.

Noun

capital n (plural capitaluri)

1. (economics, business) capital

Adjective

capital

1. capital, important

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Romansch

Alternative forms

• (Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader) chapital
• (Puter) chapitêl

Etymology

From Latin capitālis, from caput (“head”).

Noun

capital m (plural capitals)

1. (Sursilvan, Sutsilvan, Surmiran) capital

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Spanish

Etymology

Borrowing from Latin capitālis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ka.piˈtal/

Adjective

capital m, f (plural capitales)

1. capital (important)

   Es asunto de capital importancia = "(This) is a very important matter"

   Lo condenaron a la pena capital = "He was sentenced to death penalty" (rare, "pena de muerte" is commonly used)

Noun

capital m (plural capitales)

1. capital (finance)

capital f (plural capitales)

1. capital (city)

See also

• capitalizar