capital
- 01 A1 Beginner
n.the most important city in a country, where the government is located.
n.the city or town that functions as the seat of government and administrative center of a country or region.
Simple“Paris is the capital of France and its largest city.”
In context“While many assume Sydney is the capital of Australia, the seat of government is actually located in Canberra.”
- 02 A1 Beginner
n.a large letter used at the start of a sentence or a name.
n.an uppercase letter as opposed to a lowercase one; used for proper nouns and sentence initials.
Simple“Remember to start every person's name with a capital.”
In context“The manuscript was written entirely in block capitals, making it difficult to distinguish between proper names and general vocabulary.”
PitfallYou must start names with capital. You must start names with a capital letter.While 'capital' can be a noun, it is more common for learners to use the phrase 'capital letter' in this context.
SynonymsuppercasemajusculeAntonyms - 03 B1 Intermediate
n.money or property used to start a business or produce more wealth.
n.wealth in the form of money or other assets owned by a person or organization or available for a purpose such as starting a company.
Simple“The company needs more capital to open a second office.”
In context“The startup struggled to secure enough venture capital to move their prototype into the mass-production phase.”
- 04 C2 Proficiency
n.the decorated part at the very top of a stone pillar.
n.the distinct uppermost part of a column or pilaster, often decorated according to a specific architectural order.
Simple“The ancient Greek temple had beautiful carvings on every capital.”
In context“The architect specified Corinthian capitals for the facade to provide a more ornate aesthetic than the simpler Doric style used in the courtyard.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.describing a crime that can be punished by death.
adj.relating to or being a crime that is punishable by death.
Simple“In some countries, murder is still a capital offense.”
In context“The debate over capital punishment often centers on whether the state has the moral authority to execute its citizens.”
Synonyms - 06 C1 Advanced
adj.an old-fashioned way to say something is very good.
adj.an intensive used to express excellence or high approval; now largely restricted to specific dialects or period mimicry.
Simple“That is a capital idea for a party.”
In context“The colonel remarked that it was a capital dinner, though the younger guests found his phrasing rather quaint.”
- 07 A2 Elementary
adj.written as a large letter.
adj.pertaining to or being an uppercase letter.
Simple“The title of the book was written in capital letters.”
In context“The legal document required the applicant to sign their name in capital letters to ensure legibility.”
SynonymsuppercaseAntonyms
capital vs capitol — Capital is the city, the money, or the letter; capitol is the physical building where lawmakers meet.
Usage capital city · capital punishment · capital expenditure
From Middle English capital, borrowed partly from Old French capital and partly from Latin capitālis (“of the head”) (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. Compare chattel and kith and kine (“all one’s possessions”), which also use “cow” to mean “property”. Doublet of cattle and chattel.
From Middle English capitale, partly from Old French capital and partly from Late Latin capitellum (“capital or chapiter of a column”), 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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.