Capital

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.] [1913 Webster]

Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise Expect with mortal pain. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

2. Having reference to, or involving, the forfeiture of the head or life; affecting life; punishable with death; as, capital trials; capital punishment. [1913 Webster]

Many crimes that are capital among us. --Swift. [1913 Webster]

To put to death a capital offender. --Milton. [1913 Webster]

3. First in importance; chief; principal. [1913 Webster]

A capital article in religion --Atterbury. [1913 Webster]

Whatever is capital and essential in Christianity. --I. Taylor. [1913 Webster]

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. [1913 Webster]

5. Of first rate quality; excellent; as, a capital speech or song. [Colloq.] [1913 Webster]

{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. [1913 Webster]