Etymologically
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capitalize

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 14 October 2026 at 20:56. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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Pronunciation

  • IPA: /ˈkæpətəˌlaɪz/[1]

Etymology

It is formed from English capital + -ize,[2][3][4] the letter sense from capital “capital letter” and the financial senses from capital “wealth, funds”.[2][5] Merriam-Webster Unabridged and Webster's Third instead treat it as a borrowing of French capitaliser,[5][6] and the Shorter Oxford compares the French word.[4]

Earliest recorded meaning

To print or write in capital letters (1764).[7][2][8]

Semantic evolution

The word began in printing, and since the 1760s has meant writing or printing a letter as a capital, or beginning a word with one.[7][2][9] In the 19th century it took on the financial senses of capital: to turn a periodic income into an equivalent lump sum and to work out its present value (1856),[7] to convert into capital (1868),[7][2] and, first in the United States, to supply a business with capital.[7][4][9] Also first in American use, it came to mean to turn something to one's advantage (1869),[7][9] now usually with on.[10][11] In accounting it later meant to treat an expense as a capital asset instead of a running cost.[12][9][5]

Timeline

  • 1764 – to print or write in capitals.[7][8][2]
  • 1856 – to convert an income into a capital sum.[7]
  • 1868 – to convert into capital.[7][2]
  • 1869 – to turn to account, originally in the US.[7][9]
  • 1870 – to supply with capital (US).[7]
  • 1972 – to treat running costs as assets (Historical Thesaurus).[9]

Modern meaning

Verb

  1. To write or print a word or letter as a capital, or in capitals.
  2. To supply a business with capital or investment funds.
  3. To convert assets or debt into capital or capital stock.
  4. To work out the present value of an income spread over time.
  5. To record an expense as a capital asset instead of a cost of the period.
  6. To take advantage of something; to profit by it (usually with on).

Word family

  • capitalizable
  • capitalizer
  • decapitalize
  • overcapitalize
  • recapitalize
  • undercapitalize
  • capitalization
  • capital
  • capitalism
  • capitalist
  • decapitate

References

  1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
  3. ^ Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
  4. ^ a b c Shorter Oxford English Dictionary on Historical Principles (2002), 5th ed., ed. William R. Trumble and Angus Stevenson, Oxford: Oxford University Press
  5. ^ a b c Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  6. ^ Gove, Philip Babcock, ed. (1961), Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language, Unabridged, Springfield, Mass.: G. & C. Merriam
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press
  8. ^ a b Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
  9. ^ a b c d e f Kay, Christian; Roberts, Jane; Samuels, Michael; Wotherspoon, Irené, eds. (2009), Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford: Oxford University Press; online edition (2024)
  10. ^ Soanes, Catherine; Stevenson, Angus, eds. (2004), Concise Oxford English Dictionary, 11th ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  11. ^ The Chambers Dictionary (2008), 11th ed., Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap
  12. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin