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more about capital
capital |
4 definitions found From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Capital \Cap"i*tal\, a. [F. capital, L. capitalis capital (in senses 1 & 2), fr caput head. See {Chief}, and cf {Capital}, n.] 1. Of or pertaining to the head. [Obs.] Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise Expect with mortal pain. --Milton. 2. Having reference to or involving, the forfeiture of the head or life; affecting life; punishable with death; as capital trials; capital punishment. Many crimes that are capital among us --Swift. To put to death a capital offender. --Milton. 3. First in importance; chief; principal. A capital article in religion --Atterbury. Whatever is capital and essential in Christianity. --I. Taylor. 4. 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. 5. Of first rate quality; excellent; as a capital speech or song. [Colloq.] From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: Capital \Cap"i*tal\, n. [Cf. L. capitellum and Capitulum, a small head, the head, top or capital of a column, dim. of caput head; F. chapiteau OF capitel. See {Chief}, and cf {Cattle}, {Chattel}, {Chapiter}, {Chapter}.] 1. (Arch.) 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}. 2. [Cf. F. capilate, fem., sc ville.] (Geog.) The seat of government; the chief city or town in a country; a metropolis. ``A busy and splendid capital'' --Macauly. 3. [Cf. F. capital.] 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. 4. (Polit. Econ.) That portion of the produce of industry, which may be directly employed either to support human beings or to assist in production. --M'Culloch. Note: When wealth is used to assist production it is called capital. The capital of a civilized community includes fixed capital (i.e. buildings, machines, and roads used in the course of production and exchange) amd circulating capital (i.e., food, fuel, money, etc., spent in the course of production and exchange). --T. Raleigh. 5. Anything which can be used to increase one's power or influence. He tried to make capital out of his rival's discomfiture. --London Times. 6. (Fort.) An imaginary line dividing a bastion, ravelin, or other work into two equal parts 7. A chapter, or section, of a book. [Obs.] Holy St Bernard hath said in the 59th capital. --Sir W. Scott. 8. (Print.) See {Capital letter}, under {Capital}, a. {Active capital}. See under {Active}, {Small capital} (Print.), a small capital letter. See under {Capital}, a. {To live on one's capital}, to consume one's capital without producing or accumulating anything to replace it From WordNet r 1.6 [wn]: capital adj : uppercase; "capital A"; "great A"; "many medieval manuscripts are in majuscule script" [syn: {great}, {majuscule}] n 1: assets available for use in the production of further assets [syn: {working capital}] 2: the material wealth owned by a person or a business 3: a seat of government 4: printers once kept type for capitals and small letters in separate cases; capitals were kept in the upper half of the type case [syn: {upper case}, {upper-case letter}] [ant: {small letter}] 5: the upper part of a column that supports the entablature [syn: {chapiter}, {cap}] From THE DEVIL'S DICTIONARY ((C)1911 Released April 15 1993) [devils]: CAPITAL, n. The seat of misgovernment. That which provides the fire, the pot, the dinner, the table and the knife and fork for the anarchist; the part of the repast that himself supplies is the disgrace before meat. _Capital Punishment_, a penalty regarding the justice and expediency of which many worthy persons -- including all the assassins -- entertain grave misgivings.
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