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capital

52 ENTRIES FOUND:

1cap·i·tal

noun \ˈka-pə-təl, ˈkap-təl\

Definition of CAPITAL

: the uppermost member of a column or pilaster crowning the shaft and taking the weight of the entablature — see column illustration

Examples of CAPITAL

  1. The transition from Greece to Rome is marked, in a propylaeum space, by a huge Ionic column's base and capital, with a space between the broad part of the column below and the narrowing segment above. —Garry Wills, New York Review of Books, 31 May 2007

Origin of CAPITAL

Middle English capitale, from Anglo-French capital, capitel, from Late Latin capitellum small head, top of column, diminutive of Latin capit-, caput head — more at head
First Known Use: 13th century

Other Architecture Terms

buttress, casita, cornice, fanlight, garret, lintel, parapet, pilaster, plinth

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