Capital adj. 1.Of or pertaining to the head. (Obs.) "Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise Expect with mortal pain."
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." "To put to death a capital offender."
3.First in importance; chief; principal. "A capital article in religion" "Whatever is capital and essential in Christianity."
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.)
Capital letter (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.
Synonyms: Chief; leading; controlling; prominent.