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.]
2. [Cf. F. capilate, fem., sc. ville.] (Geog.) The seat of
government; the chief city or town in a country; a
metropolis. ``A busy and splendid capital'' --Macauly.
3. [Cf. F. capital.] Money, property, or stock employed in
trade, manufactures, etc.; the sum invested or lent, as
distinguished from the income or interest. See {Capital
stock}, under {Capital}, a.
4. (Polit. Econ.) That portion of the produce of industry,
which may be directly employed either to support human
beings or to assist in production. --M'Culloch.
Note: When wealth is used to assist production it is called
capital. The capital of a civilized community includes
fixed capital (i.e. buildings, machines, and roads used
in the course of production and exchange) amd
circulating capital (i.e., food, fuel, money, etc.,
spent in the course of production and exchange). --T.
Raleigh.
5. Anything which can be used to increase one's power or
influence.
He tried to make capital out of his rival's
discomfiture. --London
Times.
6. (Fort.) An imaginary line dividing a bastion, ravelin, or
other work, into two equal parts.
7. A chapter, or section, of a book. [Obs.]
Holy St. Bernard hath said in the 59th capital.
--Sir W.
Scott.
8. (Print.) See {Capital letter}, under {Capital}, a.
{Active capital}. See under {Active},
{Small capital} (Print.), a small capital letter. See under
{Capital}, a.
{To live on one's capital}, to consume one's capital without
producing or accumulating anything to replace it.