French Conversation · Level 10
88 words
French word
capital
Pronunciation
IPA/kapital/
Meaning
- masculine nouncapital
Example
Il a investi tout son capital dans l'entreprise.
He invested all his capital in the company.
More examples
Elle a besoin d'un capital de départ pour lancer son projet.
She needs starting capital to launch her project.
Core concept
A pool of money and assets put to work to create value or expand an activity.
Common phrases
capital de départ
starting capital
capital financier
financial capital
Similar words
argent: Money in the form of cash or deposits, used for payments.
montant: A specific sum stated for a transaction or payment.
investissement: Money or assets put into something with the expectation of future profit.
fonds: Money set aside for a particular purpose or project.
Definition in French
Ensemble des ressources financières qu'une personne ou une entreprise mobilise pour créer de la valeur ou développer une activité.
Word origin
The financial sense of French capital developed from Latin capitale, based on capitalis, meaning 'principal', and ultimately caput, meaning 'head'.
Usage tips
- Capital is masculine, so the standard phrase is le capital, and its financial plural is usually capitaux.
Other meanings
- fundsnoun
- capital stocknoun
Opposites
- dettedebtnoun
Related words
- capitalisationcapitalizationnoun
- capitalisercapitalizeverb