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Capital

Architecture
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The uppermost part of a column, often ornamented. In poetry, it can name a flourish that crowns a plain supporting pattern.

Detailed Definition
A capital is the head of a column, mediating between the vertical shaft and the weight above it; in many architectural orders, it is richly decorated. In poetry, a capital can describe an ornate final image, a heightened turn, or a vivid word that crowns a sequence of simpler lines. The term is especially apt when embellishment has a structural purpose, making a transition possible. It suggests that beauty may appear at the point where pressure and elevation meet.
Example
Example in poetry:
In architecture, a capital is the decorated upper part of a column, as in “I traced the acanthus leaves on the Corinthian capital”; A poet can use a worn capital to show how time softens even formal grandeur; “Pigeons nested in the capital above the broken pillar” contrasts classical art with ordinary life; In a poem set among ruins, capitals scattered in grass can suggest a civilization whose supporting structures have fallen
Additional Notes
A capital is the decorative or emphatic finish atop a supporting pattern. In a poem, it may be a final flourish, heightened metaphor, or ornate turn following plain language.
Other Meanings of “Capital”
Also Known As
Column Cap
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