| capital \KAE-pi-tehl\ (adjective, noun) - Major, large, critical, most important; punishable by death (capital crime); pertaining to investment wealth.
"It's always a capital idea to deploy a rich mix of such hyperbolic interjections as 'great,' 'awesome,' 'far out,' and 'capital!' in your conversations."
No vocabulary series would be complete without an explanation of the differences between "capital" and "capitol." Most of the nominal meanings of 'capital' have evolved from phrases with the adjective in it, though, e.g. capital (wealth), capital (city), capital (letter). But the capitol is the building in which a legislature meets. In all its other meanings, adjective or noun, the word is spelled "capital." To keep the two spellings straight, remember that the capitol (building) is in the capital (city). Also keep in mind that today's word is at heart an adjective, widely used in Britain and elsewhere to indicate excellence. Old French, from Latin "capitalis," the adjective for caput "head" akin to Old English heafod "head" and German Haupt "head," found in Hauptmann "captain." The last entered Ukrainian via Polish as "hetman" in reference to the leader of the Cossacks. By the way, "captain" itself goes back to the same "caput." |
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