capital
UK[ˈkæp.ɪ.təl]US[ˈkæp.ə.t̬əl]
n
A city that is the official seat of government of a country or state.
n
Wealth in the form of money or other assets owned by a person or organization or available for a purpose such as starting a company or investing.
n
A letter of the alphabet in the form used to begin sentences and names.
adj
(of an offense or charge) liable to the death penalty.
adj
Of primary importance; principal.
Morpheme Breakdown
capit
al
capit
head
al
adjective-forming suffix
Etymology
The word 'capital' originates from the Latin capitalis, meaning "of the head," which itself derives from caput ("head"). This foundational sense of "head" branched out metaphorically in several directions. In law, it referred to crimes affecting the "head" or life, hence "capital punishment." In finance, it evolved from the idea of the "head" or principal sum of money, as opposed to the interest. The sense of a "capital city" as the "head" of a state or region developed from the same core concept, designating the seat of government and primary city.
Analysis
Structure: capit (head) + al (adjective-forming suffix)
- capit: From Latin caput, capitis meaning "head". In this word, it functions as the core root conveying the primary concept.
- al: A suffix of Latin origin (-alis) used to form adjectives meaning "of, relating to, or characterized by". Here, it forms an adjective from the noun root.
Examples
London is the capital of the United Kingdom.
The company needs to raise more capital to fund its expansion.
Remember to start each sentence with a capital letter.