n. 首都,省会;资金;大写字母;资本家
adj. 首都的;重要的;大写的
n. (Capital)人名;(法)卡皮塔尔
capital 首都,资本
来自词根cap, 头,词义外延不断扩大。
[The term capital] made its first appearance in medieval Latin as an adjective capitalis (from caput, head) modifying the word pars, to designate the principal sum of a money loan. The principal part of a loan was contrasted with the "usury"--later called interest--the payment made to the lender in addition to the return of the sum lent. This usage, unknown to classical Latin, had become common by the thirteenth century and possibly had begun as early as 1100 A.D., in the first chartered towns of Europe. [Frank A. Fetter, "Reformulation of the Concepts of Capital and Income in Economics and Accounting," 1937, in "Capital, Interest, & Rent," 1977]Also see cattle, and compare sense development of fee, pecuniary.