capital

capital¹

noun

1》 the most important city or town of a country or region, usually its seat of government and administrative centre.

    ↘a place particularly associated with a specified activity: the fashion capital of the world.

2》 wealth owned by a person or organization or invested, lent, or borrowed.

    ↘the excess of a company's assets over its liabilities.

3》 a capital letter.

adjective

1》 (of an offence or charge) liable to the death penalty.

2》 (of a letter of the alphabet) large in size and of the form used to begin sentences and names.

3》 informal, dated excellent.

Phrases

make capital out of use to one's own advantage.

with a capital —— used for emphasis: she was ugly with a capital U.

Derivatives

capitally adverb

Origin

ME (as adjective in the sense 'relating to the head or top'): via OFr. from L. capitalis, from caput 'head'.

————————

capital²

noun Architecture the distinct, typically broader section at the head of a pillar or column.

Origin

ME: from OFr. capitel, from late L. capitellum 'little head', dimin. of L. caput.