Which is at the top of the pillar:
the capital or the capitol?
Etymology, Etymology, and more Etymology
as well as grammar, usage, euphemism, slang, jargon, semantics, linguistics, neologism, idiom, cant, and argot.
The critically-acclaimed board game
MooT
consists of tough questions about the nuances of the English language.
Answer:
the capital
The top part of a column or a pillar (as
well as the town or city that is the home of the government) is called the
capital.
However, the building where the legislature meets
is called the capitol.
Feedback
I just chanced to get it right, simply
because I sensed that the "head" of a column or pillar (...or is it pillor?),
would be akin to the governmental city "head" of a state.
But then, considering that it would be near chance
that would render most guesses right or wrong, I began wondering what the two
relative derivations are that would leave them spelled so
similarly?
Just looked them up in one
dictionary, and it's as befuddled as ever; since both derive from Latin "head,"
although with a few derivative variations.
EverPsyPgh aol.com
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Thanks for that. I always get so confused with this
word.
In Spanish, my native language,
it is very clear. The CAPITAL is the city, the CAPITOLIO is the building, and
the CAPITEL is the top of the column. As I tell my Spanish 1 8th graders,
English is so much tougher.
beacantor%%%hotmail.com
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Way back in 7th grade I saw a filmstrip
with series of mnemonic devices for tricky spellings, still remember the
mini-crossword with picture: the capitOl has a
dOme.
slundgren at warnerpacific.edu
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