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capital letter

capital letter

4 1.0
A large letter that you use at the start of a sentence or name
  • noun
  • /ˈkæpɪtəl ˈlɛtər/
translation icon : 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
64 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
uppercase
vscapital letter
4 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
capital letters
vscapital letter
1.0

Large letters that start sentences and names

is the term for a single instance of the large letter form
majuscule
vscapital letter
  • Specialized
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.