Cap·i·tal a.
 1. Of or pertaining to the head. [Obs.]
 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. [Colloq.]
 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.
 Syn: -- Chief; leading; controlling; prominent.
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