| 释义 |
cap·i·tal
I. \ˈkapəd.əl, -p(ə)təl\ adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Latin capitalis, from capit-, caput head — more at head
1. obsolete : of or relating to the head
< his capital bruise — John Milton >
2.
a. archaic : deadly, fatal
< an inexorable capital enemy >
< a plague capital to many >
b. : punishable by death : involving execution
< a capital crime >
< a capital verdict >
< put to death a capital offender — John Milton >
c. : involving or punishable by loss of legal personality
d. : most serious : fatally detrimental : egregious
< a capital error >
< the capital folly of cutting herself off from her family — Arnold Bennett >
3.
a. obsolete : standing at the beginning of a page, passage, or line
< the illumination of the capital words in the manuscript >
b. of a letter : comparatively large, clear, or elegant in form and in print like the majuscule letters of ancient inscriptions and consequently regarded as especially fit for use in initial position : of or conforming to the series A, B, C, etc. rather than a, b, c, etc.
4.
a. archaic : having authority or preeminence : most important : chief
< the capital lords of the realm >
— used of a person
b. : above comparable matters in importance, significance, worth, or influence : prominent, predominant, major, main
< whatever is capital and essential in Christianity should be clearly and strenuously affirmed — Isaac Taylor >
< the capital importance of criticism in the work of creation itself — T.S.Eliot >
5. of a city : most important; specifically : being the seat of government
< London is the capital city of England >
6. [capital (II) ]
a. : consisting of, serving as, or intended as capital
b. : accruing to or from capital
c. : carried on or conducted by means of capital
d. : of or having to do with capital
7. : highly meritorious : most enjoyable : excellent, first-rate
< a capital essay, still diverting after three quarters of a century — H.L.Mencken >
< capital dinners they give at those crack hotels — George Meredith >
Synonyms: see chief
•
- with a capital
II. noun
(-s)
Etymology: French or Italian; French, from Italian capitale, from capitale, adjective, principal, from Latin capitalis
1.
a. or capital goods or capital account : a stock of accumulated goods especially at a specified time and in contrast to income received during a specified period
b. : the value of these accumulated goods
c. or capital goods : accumulated goods devoted to the production of other goods : facilities or goods utilized as factors of production
< capital is not money but means of production — Bertrand Russell >
< the employer who could set capital and land and labor to work — G.B.Shaw >
d. : any accumulated factors of production capable of being owned
< working capital in the form of plow beasts, heavy plows, and slaves — F.M.Stenton >
e. : the proprietary claim in a business
f. : the principal of a loan as contrasted with interest
g. : net assets : excess of assets over liabilities
h. : capital stock
i. : accumulated possessions calculated to bring in income
< a thousand acres of haying land meant a capital as reliable as government bonds — Margaret Deland >
j. : accumulated assets, resources, sources of strength, or advantages utilized to aid in accomplishing an end or furthering a pursuit
< the accumulated scientific and mathematical capital on which our technology flourishes — W.F.Albright >
k. : available money
< walking into Hollisburg on a capital of twenty cents — Elmer Davis >
l. : persons holding capital : investors, potential or actual
< troubled international conditions have made capital reluctant to invest heavily — American Guide Series: Arkansas >
m. : asset, gain, or profit through utilization of an adventitious characteristic or development
< to make poetic capital out of the suffering of others — C.D.Lewis >
< a keen and wary ruler who made capital of his weakness — Agnes Repplier >
2. [capital (I) ]
a. : a capital letter; especially : an intial capital letter
b. : a letter belonging to a style of alphabet modeled upon and departing in form relatively little from the style customarily used in inscriptions — see roman capital, rustic capital, square capitals; compare cursive, half uncial, minuscule, uncial
3. [capital (I) ]
a. : the chief city of a country or region
< Scranton … capital of the anthracite basin — American Guide Series: Pennsylvania >
b. : a city serving as a seat for the government of a larger area or as a seat of a government branch (as of sovereign, legislature, or administration)
< Washington is the capital of the U.S. >
c. : a city preeminent or dominant in some special activity — used with a specifying attributive
< had once been considered the world's diamond capital >
< Paris reigned as the fashion capital of the world >
< San Antonio, a veritable cattle capital — American Guide Series: Texas >
III. noun
(-s)
Etymology: Middle English capitale, by folk etymology (influence of capital) (I) from Old North French capitel, from Late Latin capitellum small head, top of column, diminutive of Latin capit-, caput head — more at head
1. : the head or uppermost member of a column or pilaster crowning the shaft and taking the weight of the entablature — see column illustration
2. : the head or cap especially of a chimney or a crucible |