HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

To look up an entry in The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, use the search window above. For best results, after typing in the word, click on the “Search” button instead of using the “enter” key.

Some compound words (like bus rapid transit, dog whistle, or identity theft) don’t appear on the drop-down list when you type them in the search bar. For best results with compound words, place a quotation mark before the compound word in the search window.

guide to the dictionary

cap·i·tal¹

(kăpĭ-tl)

a. A town or city that is the official seat of government in a political entity, such as a state or nation.

b. A city that is the center of a specific activity or industry: the financial capital of the world.

a. Wealth, especially in the form of financial or physical assets, used in the production or accumulation of more wealth.

b. Accumulated assets or advantages used for economic or political gain: "The president lacks the political capital to override their objections" (The Economist).

a. The money invested in a corporation, including debt and equity.

b. Net worth.

c. Capital stock.

4. Capitalists considered as a group or class.

5. A capital letter.

adj.

1. First and foremost; principal: a decision of capital importance.

2. First-rate; excellent: a capital idea.

3. Relating to or being a seat of government.

4. Extremely serious: a capital blunder.

5. Involving death or calling for the death penalty: a capital offense.

6. Of or relating to financial assets, especially being or related to those financial assets that add to the net worth of a business: made capital improvements at the plant site.

7. Relating to or being a capital letter.

[From Middle English, principal, from Old French, from Latin capitālis, from caput, head, money laid out; see kaput- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots. Noun, sense 5, and adjective, sense 7, from the medieval use of uncials in headings of pages and passages .]

Usage Note: The term for a town or city that serves as a seat of government is spelled capital. The term for the building in which a legislative assembly meets is spelled capitol.

cap·i·tal²

(kăpĭ-tl)

n.
Architecture

The top part of a pillar or column, typically having an ornamental design.

[Middle English, from Anglo-Norman, from Late Latin capitellum, diminutive of Latin caput, head; see kaput- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

(click for a larger image)

capital²

top: at the Kiosk of Qertassi

New Kalabsha, Egypt

bottom: in the cloister of the Monastery of Santa Maria de l'Estany

Estany, Spain

(click for a larger image)

capital2

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

American Heritage Dictionary Products

HOW TO USE THE DICTIONARY

THE USAGE PANEL

AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY APP

THE AMERICAN HERITAGE DICTIONARY BLOG

INTERESTED IN DICTIONARIES?

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

American Heritage Dictionary Products