Capitalize

How to spell capitalize

10 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce capitalize

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does capitalize mean?

1. verbTo write a letter or word beginning with an uppercase letter.
2. verbTo provide a business with capital, or to record an expense as an asset rather than a cost.
3. verbTo gain advantage from a situation, usually followed by 'on'.

Capitalize in a sentence

• The style guide tells writers to capitalize the first letter of every proper noun.

• The founders struggled to capitalize the start-up before its first product launch.

• The company hoped to capitalize on the sudden surge in demand for home office furniture.

• Most editors capitalize the names of countries and days of the week.

• Accountants may capitalize the cost of major equipment instead of expensing it at once.

• Smart investors capitalize on a dip in share prices.

Where does capitalize come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on capital, which descends from the Latin capitalis, meaning 'of the head' or 'chief', itself from caput, the Latin word for 'head'. The financial sense grew from the idea of a 'head' sum of money, the principal stock that a business is founded on, and from there 'capital' came to mean accumulated wealth used to generate more. The verb capitalize appeared in the early nineteenth century, first in the world of finance, meaning to convert assets into spendable capital or to supply a venture with funds. The printing sense, to write a letter as a 'capital' rather than a small letter, draws on the same notion of the chief or largest form of a letter. The figurative phrase 'capitalize on', meaning to turn a situation to profit, simply extends the money metaphor. The -ize ending here reflects the Greek-derived verb suffix that English inherited through Latin and French, and it is the same trap that makes writers hesitate between -ize and -ise.

How the word is built

• capital (from Latin capitalis: of the head, chief)
• -ize (verb-forming suffix: to make or do)

British and American spelling

Capitalize is the American spelling. British English spells it capitalise.