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capital letter

capital letter

2 1.0
A large letter that you use at the start of a sentence or name
  • noun
  • /ˈkæpɪtəl ˈlɛtər/
: letra mayúscula
  • Label each appendix with capital letters (Appendix A, Appendix B).
  • word in capital letter
  • italic and capital letters

You now have the, the big OL and Y in capital letters in your bio.

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Examples

  • Correct capitalization. Correct uses of capital letters were counted.

    Academic text (2002)
  • Yes, there should be a law against the use of capital letters in a post.

    Blog text (22)
  • You do realize that the Chicago Manual of Style is referring to capital letters, right?

    Blog text (5)
  • Things like Apple and Orange don't start with a capital letter unless they start with a sentence.

  • Write in capital letters.

  • Words in capital letters indicate either a satisfactory level of skill achievement or awareness of a concept.

    Academic text (1994)
  • Book titles are italicized, and the first word begins with a capital letter, but all the other words are lowercase.

    Academic text (2002)
  • The name of the country, France, should always be written with a capital letter.

  • In English, you start a sentence with a capital letter to indicate its beginning.

  • When typing your name, make sure to use a capital letter for the first letter of your first name.

Synonyms

capital
vscapital letter
22 1.2

A large letter used at the start of names or sentences

is the phrase that highlights the large letter as opposed to small
capital letters
vscapital letter
9 1.0

Large letters that start sentences and names

is the term for a single instance of the large letter form
uppercase
vscapital letter
2 2.2

A large letter used at the start of names or sentences

is the label used when contrasting the large form with the small form
upper-case letter
vscapital letter
1 1.5

A large letter that begins names and sentences

is the common descriptive term for that large versus small letter difference
majuscule
vscapital letter
  • Specialized
1 8.4

A large capital letter used at the start of names or sentences

is the everyday label for that large letter used in writing and names

Antonyms

A small letter of the alphabet that is not a capital

Surface Forms

Morphology

capital + letter

The meaning 'an uppercase letter' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'capital' (uppercase) with 'letter' (an alphabet symbol); the phrase follows standard English orthographic composition. This is a common, cross-linguistically recognizable term, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would readily infer the MWE's meaning.

Etymology

The phrase capital letter comes from the old idea that a capital is the 'head' or main thing and so a large letter stands at the 'head' of a sentence or name. That's why we use capital letters to show the 'start' of a sentence or to mark 'important' names.