Like how the antonym of uppercase is lowercase, and of majuscule is minuscule, what is capital's own antonym?
Alternatively, if capital has no unique antonym of its own, how did it come to refer to uppercase letters without one?
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When you look up the word, what do you find? Please include your research in your question on etymology.– livresqueCommented Feb 5, 2023 at 3:21
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2Some words are allowed to enter the English language without having an antonym.– XanneCommented Feb 5, 2023 at 3:38
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2@Xanne: Which words? The public has a right to know!– FumbleFingersCommented Feb 5, 2023 at 11:26
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Are you looking to use capital (and its potential opposite) as a noun or as an adjective? Noun: This letter is a capital and that one is a ____. Adjective: This is a capital letter and that is a ____ letter.– Tinfoil HatCommented Feb 5, 2023 at 15:55
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2 Answers
[It's never a good idea to ask two questions at once, but to answer the second question...]
The word capital came to have a meaning without a specific antonym because it ultimately derives from the Latin caput, "head":
II. Standing at the head.
5. Formerly of a letter or word: standing at the head of a page, passage, etc. Now of a letter: having the distinctive form and size used to begin a sentence, proper name, etc.— OED (may be paywalled)
The oldest citation is from the Wycliffe Bible of 1382.
If it were to have an antonym of similar derivation, it would be corporal, but that word has never had that particular meaning, according to OED. Presumably this is because capital never needed an antonym — there were letters of a particular style (uncial, blackletter...), and capital letters stood out on their own. It would be a mistake to hijack corporal and force it into a new meaning nowadays.
When I was at school, we used the term little letters, probably because it's nicely alliterative.
answered Feb 5, 2023 at 12:03
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1Or, if capital corresponds to a particular distinction among letter shapes, an antonym could be regular. Commented Feb 5, 2023 at 14:47
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1And if capital is head, does head have an antonym? Tail, feet, the other end? Commented Feb 5, 2023 at 14:53
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@Yosef This is exactly what Andrew proposed corporal for. Commented Feb 5, 2023 at 15:24
You can call the minuscule letters "small" letters. Here are a couple of YouTube videos that show the usage:
