capital English · revision 3285

+ English has two words spelled ''capital'', both from Latin caput “head”: the adjective and noun meaning “chief; wealth; chief city”, from capitālis, and the top of a column, from capitellum.^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2000)^(Hoad 1986)

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * IPA: UK /ˈkæp.ɪ.təl/, US /ˈkæp.ə.t̬əl/^(Roach et al. 2011)

+

+ {{homograph|1|chief; wealth; chief city}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=before 1200, Ancrene Riwle|origins=la caput}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The adjective is [[inh|enm|capital]],^(AHD 2000)^(Barnhart 1988) [[bor|fro|capital]],^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[la|capitālis|t=of the head; chief, first]],^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2000) from [[m|la|caput|t=head]] (genitive capitis),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) from [[ine-pro|*kaput-|t=head]].^(Etymonline)^(AHD 2000) The financial noun is from [[la-med|capitāle|t=stock, property, assets]], the noun use of the neuter of capitālis;^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) Latin caput itself could mean “principal, money laid out”.^(Barnhart 1988)^(AHD 2000) In Medieval Latin the adjective described the pars capitalis, the principal sum of a loan, as opposed to the interest.^(Etymonline) It is a doublet of [[cattle]] and [[chattel]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ “Of or relating to the head”: probably before 1200, in the ''Ancrene Riwle'',^(Barnhart 1988) or the early 13th century.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ Several senses grew from “of the head”.^(Barnhart 1988) “Involving loss of the head or life, deadly” is from 1395, in Wycliffe,^(Barnhart 1988) and a capital crime, punishable by death, from the 1520s;^(Etymonline) Old English had a similar link between head and life in heafodgilt “capital offence”.^(Etymonline) Capital letters, so called because they stand at the head of a sentence, are from before 1387,^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) and the noun, a capital letter, from before 1430.^(Barnhart 1988) “Chief, principal” is from the early 15th century.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) The financial noun meant a person's wealth in the 1610s (1611, in Cotgrave's Dictionary),^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) the wealth used in a business from the 1640s, and in political economy the part of production available for further production from 1793.^(Etymonline) The chief city of a country is from the 1660s, 1667 in Milton's ''Paradise Lost''.^(Etymonline)^(Barnhart 1988) “Excellent, first-rate” is by 1754, perhaps from capital ships, those strong enough to stand in the line of battle, from the 1650s.^(Etymonline)^(Cresswell 2021) ''Capitalist'' is from 1791 and ''capitalism'' from 1854, in Thackeray.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * before 1200 – of the head.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * before 1387 – capital letters.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1395 – deadly, mortal.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * early 15th century – chief, principal.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1520s – a capital crime.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1611 – a fund of money.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1667 – the chief city.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1754 – excellent.^(Etymonline)

+ * 1791 – ''capitalist''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+ * 1854 – ''capitalism''.^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # The city that is the seat of [[government]] of a country or state.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ # A city that is the centre of an activity: ''the fashion capital''.^(AHD)

+ # [[wealth|alt=Wealth]] in money or property used to produce more wealth, or invested in a business.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # An [[upper case|alt=upper-case]] letter.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ===Adjective===

+ # Chief; most important.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Punishable by death: ''a capital crime''.^(AHD)^(Etymonline)

+ # Of a letter, upper-case.^(AHD)^(Barnhart 1988)

+ # ''(dated, British)'' Excellent.^(AHD)^(Cresswell 2021)

+ # Relating to financial [[asset|alt=assets]].^(AHD)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[capitalism]]

+ * [[capitalist]]

+ * [[capitalize]]

+ * [[capitally]]

+ * [[capital punishment]]

+

+ {{homograph|2|top of a column}}

+

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=c. 1290|origins=la caput}}

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ The top of a column is [[inh|enm|capitale]],^(MWU 2024) [[bor|xno|capitel]], Old French chapitel (modern French chapiteau),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986)^(AHD 2000) from [[la-lat|capitellum|t=small head, top of a column]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(COED 2004) a diminutive of [[la|caput|t=head]].^(Barnhart 1988)^(Hoad 1986) Its form was changed by folk etymology under the influence of the other ''capital''.^(MWU 2024) It is a doublet of [[cadet]].^(Barnhart 1988)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ The head or top of a column or pillar: before 1300,^(Barnhart 1988) or about 1290.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ The head or cap of a chimney or crucible is from 1715.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * c. 1290 – the top of a column.^(OED 1989)

+ * 1715 – the cap of a chimney.^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # ''(architecture)'' The top part of a [[column]] or [[pillar]].^(AHD)^(OED 1989)

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[captain]]

+ * [[capita]]

+ * [[capitol]]

+ * [[capitulate]]

+ * [[capitulation]]

+ * [[chapiter]]

+ * [[chapter]]

+ * [[chief]]

+ * [[cattle]]

+ * [[chattel]]

+ * [[cadet]]

+ * [[decapitate]]

+ * [[per capita]]

+

+ ==Usage notes==

+ A city that is the seat of government is spelled ''capital'', while the building in which a legislature meets is a [[capitol]].^(AHD)

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}