the Capitol

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026

Cap•i•tol  (kap′i tl), n. 

1. Government the building in Washington, D.C., used by the Congress of the U.S. for its sessions.
2. Government (often l.c.) a building occupied by a state legislature.
3. the ancient temple of Jupiter at Rome, on the Capitoline.
4. Ancient History the Capitoline.

• Old North French
• Latin capitōlium temple of Jupiter on Capitoline hill, Rome, taken to be a derivative of caput head; replacing Middle English capitolie
• 1690–1700, American.

Usage

See capital ¹.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

Capitol / ˈkæpɪt^əl/ noun

1. another name for the Capitoline
2. the temple on the Capitoline
3. the Capitol ⇒ the main building of the US Congress
4. Also called: statehouse (sometimes not capital) (in the US) the building housing any state legislature

Etymology: 14th Century: from Latin Capitōlium, from caput head