Definition Definition

capital - Meaning and Examples

Meaning of 'capital' (Webster Dictionary)

1 . Capital [ a.]
- That portion of the produce of industry, which may be directly employed either to support human beings or to assist in production.
- Anything which can be used to increase one's power or influence.
- An imaginary line dividing a bastion, ravelin, or other work, into two equal parts.
- A chapter, or section, of a book.
- See Capital letter, under Capital, a.
2 . Capital [ n.]
- Of or pertaining to the head.
- Having reference to, or involving, the forfeiture of the head or life; affecting life; punishable with death; as, capital trials; capital punishment.
- First in importance; chief; principal.
- Chief, in a political sense, as being the seat of the general government of a state or nation; as, Washington and Paris are capital cities.
- Of first rate quality; excellent; as, a capital speech or song.
- The head or uppermost member of a column, pilaster, etc. It consists generally of three parts, abacus, bell (or vase), and necking. See these terms, and Column.
- The seat of government; the chief city or town in a country; a metropolis.
- Money, property, or stock employed in trade, manufactures, etc.; the sum invested or lent, as distinguished from the income or interest. See Capital stock, under Capital, a.

Meaning of 'capital' (Princeton's WordNet)

1 . capital [ n]
Meaning (1):
- one of the large alphabetic characters used as the first letter in writing or printing proper names and sometimes for emphasis
Example in sentence:
  • printers once kept the type for capitals and for small letters in separate cases; capitals were kept in the upper half of the type case and so became known as upper-case letters
Meaning (2):
- a center that is associated more than any other with some activity or product
Example in sentence:
  • the crime capital of Italy;
  • the drug capital of Columbia
3 . capital [ s]
Meaning (3):
- first-rate
Example in sentence:
  • a capital fellow;
  • a capital idea
Meaning (4):
- uppercase
Example in sentence:
  • capital A;
  • great A;
  • many medieval manuscripts are in majuscule script
Meaning (5):
- of primary importance
Example in sentence:
  • our capital concern was to avoid defeat