from
The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
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.]
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Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise
Expect with mortal pain. --Milton.
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2. Having reference to, or involving, the forfeiture of the
head or life; affecting life; punishable with death; as,
capital trials; capital punishment.
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Many crimes that are capital among us. --Swift.
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To put to death a capital offender. --Milton.
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3. First in importance; chief; principal.
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A capital article in religion --Atterbury.
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Whatever is capital and essential in Christianity.
--I. Taylor.
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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.
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5. Of first rate quality; excellent; as, a capital speech or
song. [Colloq.]
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{Capital letter} [F, lettre capitale] (Print.), a leading or
heading letter, used at the beginning of a sentence and as
the first letter of certain words, distinguished, for the
most part, both by different form and larger size, from
the small (lower-case) letters, which form the greater
part of common print or writing.
{Small capital letters} have the form of capital letters and
height of the body of the lower-case letters.
{Capital stock}, money, property, or stock invested in any
business, or the enterprise of any corporation or
institution. --Abbott.
Syn: Chief; leading; controlling; prominent.
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