capitalism
/ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/
capitalism · noun — A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources, and capital and their exploitation for profit. It carries an Arena rating of 1388, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Definition from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, capitalism ranks #231 of 17,188 for Words That Escaped Their Books, #2,205 of 17,187 for Most Malleable Words, #3,237 of 17,176 for Most Incisive Words, #4,186 of 17,197 for Best Fossil-Poetry Words.
capitalism is pronounced /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/.
Why “capitalism” is a great word
An economic and social system based on private ownership of capital and the means of production, with production and distribution primarily determined by competition in a free market. From French *capitalisme*, from *capital* (wealth, from Latin *capitalis*, from *caput* 'head', from Proto-Indo-European *káput* 'head') + *-isme* ('-ism'), first used in English in 1854 by novelist William Thackeray. Unlike 'socialism' (which vests ownership in the community or state) or 'mercantilism' (which directs economic activity toward state accumulation of bullion), capitalism locates the engine of value in private hands and open competition. It is the clink of coins in a street vendor’s tray at dawn, the electric hum of the factory floor, and the silent, colossal pressure of a price finding its level—the quiet faith that order emerges, unplanned, from a million private wants.
❧ Essay by Lexicurio’s AI · definition, etymology & citations from published sources
Etymology
Borrowed from French capitalisme (“the condition of one who is rich”); equivalent to capital + -ism. Derived from Proto-Indo-European *káput (“head”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap-. First used in English by novelist William Thackeray in The Newcomes [1854-1855].
noun
- A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources, and capital and their exploitation for profit.
- A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources, and capital and their exploitation for profit.; An economic system based on private control of the means of production and the exploitation of labour by capital.
- A socio-economic system based on private ownership of resources, and capital and their exploitation for profit.; An economic system based on private property and the abstraction of resources into the form of privately owned capital, with economic decisions made largely through the operation of a market unregulated by the state.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.