capitalization
UK: ˌkæp.ɪ.təl.aɪˈzeɪ.ʃən | US: ˌkæp.ɪ.t̬əl.əˈzeɪ.ʃən
n. the action of writing or printing in capital letters
n. the process of converting income or assets into capital
n. (finance) the total market value of a company's outstanding shares
The word "capitalization" traces back to Latin caput (head), which evolved into capitalis (related to the head or wealth). The suffix -ize (from Greek -izein) denotes action, and -ation forms a noun. Historically, "capital" referred to wealth or resources (as the "head" of one's assets), later expanding to financial and typographic contexts. The term's logic reflects the idea of "making something principal" (e.g., letters in uppercase or converting value into capital).
Proper capitalization is essential in formal writing.
The company's market capitalization reached $1 trillion.
The software automatically corrects capitalization errors.
Tax rules differ for the capitalization of expenses.
English capitalization rules include capitalizing the first word of a sentence.