capital

/ˈkæpɪtl/
nounIntermediate a city serving as the seat of government
formal

the city or town that is the official seat of government for a country or region

Paris is the capital of France.

This means Paris is the political and administrative center of France.

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The term can also refer to the capital city of a state or province within a country.

💰Finance
Finance

wealth in the form of money or other assets owned by a person or organization

The company has significant capital invested in new technology.

This means the company has allocated a large amount of money or resources to developing new technology.

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In finance, capital can refer to financial assets, physical assets, or human capital (skills and knowledge).

grammar

a large letter at the beginning of a word or sentence

In English, the first letter of a sentence is always capitalized.

This means the first letter of a sentence should be written in uppercase.

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This usage is specific to written language and typography.

Collocations

capital citythe official seat of governmenthuman capitalthe skills and knowledge of a workforcecapital investmentmoney invested in assets or projects

Related Phrases

capital punishmentphrase
the legal penalty of death
capital gainsphrase
profit from the sale of an asset

💡Pro Tip

Context Matters

The meaning of 'capital' depends heavily on the context in which it is used. Pay attention to whether it is being used in a geographical, financial, or grammatical sense.

Gold Rule

Geographical vs. Financial

When 'capital' refers to a city, it is typically written with a capital letter (e.g., 'Washington, D.C. is the capital of the United States'). When referring to financial assets, it is usually lowercase unless it starts a sentence.

📖Word Origin

From Old French 'capital', from Latin 'capitalis', meaning 'of the head', from 'caput' (head). Originally referred to the head of a column or the principal part of something.

📝Usage Notes

The word 'capital' has multiple meanings depending on context. In geography, it refers to a city; in finance, it refers to wealth or assets; and in grammar, it refers to uppercase letters.

Word Breakdown

capit-
head
root
+
-al
relating to
suffix
English Dictionary