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.
Needs must the Serpent now his capital bruise
Expect with mortal pain.
Milton.
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.
Swift.
To put to death a capital offender.
Milton.
3. First in importance; chief; principal.
A capital article in religion
Atterbury.
Whatever is capital and essential in Christianity.
I. Taylor.
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.
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.