capitol

noun

cap·​i·​tol ˈka-pə-tᵊl How to pronounce capitol (audio)
ˈkap-tᵊl
1
a
: a building in which a state legislative body meets
the dome of the state capitol
b
: a group of buildings in which the functions of state government are carried out
2
capitalized : the building in which the U.S. Congress meets at Washington

Did you know?

Capital and Capitol: Which One to Use Where

What a pair these are: they sound identical and look nearly identical and both have meanings that relate to government. Mastering their use, however, is simple.

The key is this: capitol, the one with an "o," is very limited in use. It appears in the term Capitol Hill, and is used to refer to one very particular and famous building, to some other similar buildings, and, occasionally, to a group of buildings that includes those similar buildings. For all other meanings, the word you want is capital.

This means that in a state's capital city is a building or group of buildings properly referred to with the word capitol, with an "o." In this use capitol is synonymous with statehouse: both refer to the building or group of buildings where a state legislature meets. The phrase capital city utilizes capital because it refers to a city, not to a building or group of buildings.

Capitol with a capital "C" refers to the particular building in Washington, D.C. where the U.S. Congress meets. It often appears before other nouns in phrases like the Capitol building and Capitol police, and is very frequently used in the term Capitol Hill, which refers both to the legislative branch of the United States government as well as to the location of the Capitol building. The Capitol, like many state capitol buildings, has a rounded dome that is somewhat reminiscent of the top of an "o," which may help some remember the "o" spelling. Note that the word capital as used to describe an uppercase letter, like in the phrase capital "C", utilizes capital.

The word capital has three distinct homographs, two for noun uses and one for adjective uses. Readers should consult those entries for the various meanings of capital, but can be assured that they all end in al, rather than ol.

Examples of capitol in a Sentence

the dome of the state capitol the legislators were called to the capitol for an emergency session
Recent Examples on the Web The bill added the secretary of state, attorney general, state comptroller, state treasurer and their employees to those who could carry guns at the capitol building as well as General Assembly employees and members of the Indiana Lobby Registration Commission. Brittany Carloni, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 The Avs have two days off before playing Tuesday night against the Washington Capitals in the nation’s capitol. Corey Masisak, The Denver Post, 10 Feb. 2024 The first permanent capitol building ever constructed in Arizona still stands in Phoenix, but has undergone various transformations since opening its doors in 1901 as Arizona’s Territorial Capitol. Madeline Nguyen, The Arizona Republic, 3 Feb. 2024 The troubling trend recently took a political turn as federal judges and lawmakers have been subject to the false emergency calls, along with state capitol buildings and even the White House. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 1 Feb. 2024 One factor: The historically red district, about an hour’s drive north of the capitol, had just been redrawn to include more of fast-growing Montgomery County. Molly Hennessy-Fiske, Washington Post, 25 Jan. 2024 The Jail in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, sits west of the Mississippi River and is about 45 minutes from the state's capitol of Little Rock. Cara Tabachnick, CBS News, 24 Jan. 2024 State capitol buildings in at least six states were forced to evacuate after bomb threats on Wednesday. Bridget Bowman, NBC News, 4 Jan. 2024 Three police officers were shot trying to make an animal cruelty arrest that touched off an hourslong standoff in the nation's capitol on Wednesday, which ended late at night with a man's arrest. CBS News, 14 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'capitol.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Latin Capitolium, temple of Jupiter at Rome on the Capitoline hill

First Known Use

1679, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of capitol was in 1679

Dictionary Entries Near capitol

Cite this Entry

“Capitol.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/capitol. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

capitol

noun
cap·​i·​tol ˈkap-ət-ᵊl How to pronounce capitol (audio)
ˈkap-tᵊl
1
: the building in which a state legislature meets
2
capitalized : the building in which the U.S. Congress meets in Washington, D.C.

More from Merriam-Webster on capitol

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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