capital Meaning & Definition
What Does Capital Mean?
Capital is used as a noun meaning Money and wealth: the means to acquire or produce goods and services, especially in a non-barter system. It can also mean Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as tools and bulldozers (equipment) and office buildings (structures). As an adjective, it means Of prime importance. As an interjection, it means Used as an expression of approval, satisfaction, or delight.
Capital at a Glance
| Part of speech | noun, adjective, interjection |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˈkæpɪtəl/ |
| Synonyms | great, cap and majuscule |
| Antonyms | lower case, small letter and lower-case letter |
| Plural | capitals |
Capital Definition (Noun)
- Money and wealth: the means to acquire or produce goods and services, especially in a non-barter system.
He does not have enough capital to start a business.
- Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as tools and bulldozers (equipment) and office buildings (structures).
He pointed out that it takes both labour and capital to produce goods.
- The capitalist class; capital owners considered collectively as a politically influential group — commonly represented by wealthy individuals and private institutional investors.
The markets crashing symbolized capital’s discontent with the tax reforms passed.
- 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 most important city in the field specified.
- An uppercase letter.
- Knowledge; awareness; proficiency.
Interpreters need a good amount of cultural capital in order to function efficiently in the profession.
- The chief or most important thing.
Capital as an Adjective
- Of prime importance.
- Chief (in a political sense, as being the seat of the general government of a state or nation).
London and Paris are capital cities.
- Excellent.
a capital fellow
- Punishable by, or involving punishment by, death.
capital punishment; capital murder
- Uppercase.
One begins a sentence with a capital letter.
- Used to emphasise greatness or absoluteness.
You're a genius with a capital G!
- Of or relating to the head.
Capital as an Interjection
- Used as an expression of approval, satisfaction, or delight.
That's an amazing idea! Capital!
Noun
- The uppermost part of a column.
Noun
- Already-produced durable goods available for use as a factor of production, such as steam shovels (equipment) and office buildings (structures).
- Money and wealth. The means to acquire goods and services, especially in a non-barter system.
He does not have enough capital to start a business.
- (by extension) The chief or most important thing.
Adjective
- Involving punishment by death.
Synonyms of Capital
Capital synonyms and antonyms →Antonyms of Capital
Capital in a Sentence
He does not have enough capital to start a business.
He pointed out that it takes both labour and capital to produce goods.
The markets crashing symbolized capital’s discontent with the tax reforms passed.
He warned us darkly that capital will never be sated.
Washington D.C. is the capital of the United States of America.
The Welsh government claims that Cardiff is Europe’s youngest capital.
Interpreters need a good amount of cultural capital in order to function efficiently in the profession.
London and Paris are capital cities.
a capital fellow
That is a capital idea!
capital punishment; capital murder
One begins a sentence with a capital letter.
You're a genius with a capital G!
He's dead with a capital D!
That's an amazing idea! Capital!
Word Forms & Grammar
capital (countable and uncountable, plural capitals)
capital (not comparable)
capital
capital (plural capitals)
Words That Rhyme With Capital
Origin of Capital
Origin 1: From Middle English capital, borrowed partly from Old French capital and partly from Latin capitālis (“of the head”)[1][2] (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.[3] In the fourth sense, displaced native Old English hēafodburg, equivalent to head + borough (“city”).
Origin 2: Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”.
Origin 3: Doublet of cattle and chattel.
Origin 4: From Middle English capitale, partly from Old French capital and partly from Late Latin capitellum (“capital or chapiter of a column”),[4] 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.
Questions People Ask About Capital
Is capital a noun or an adjective?
Capital is mainly used as a noun, but it can also be used as an adjective and an interjection.
What is another word for capital?
Words with a similar meaning to capital include great, cap and majuscule. See the full list of capital synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of capital?
Antonyms of capital include lower case, small letter, lower-case letter and minuscule.
What is the plural of capital?
The plural of capital is capitals.
More About Capital On Meaning Stash
More Words Starting With “Capi”
- capi
- capias
- capital-intensive
- capitalism
- capitalist
- capitalistic
- capitalists
- capitalize
- capitalized
- capitalizing