Capitol

American  

[kap-i-tl] / ˈkæp ɪ tl /

noun

1. the building in Washington, D.C., used by the Congress of the U.S. for its sessions.

2. (often lowercase) a building occupied by a state legislature.

3. the ancient temple of Jupiter at Rome, on the Capitoline.

4. the Capitoline.

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Capitol British  

/ ˈkæpɪtəl /

noun

1. 1. another name for the Capitoline

   2. the temple on the Capitoline

2. the main building of the US Congress

3. Also called: statehouse.  (sometimes not capital) (in the US) the building housing any state legislature

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Commonly Confused

See capital ¹.

Etymology

Origin of Capitol

An Americanism first recorded in 1690–1700; from Latin capitōlium, the name of the temple of Jupiter on Capitoline hill, Rome, taken to be a derivative of caput “head”; replacing Middle English capitolie, from Old North French

Example Sentences

She took a job at Capitol Hill, advising a US congressman on telecommunications and technology.

From BBC

By the time I arrived on Capitol Hill in the early 1980s, the pattern on guns had already been established.

From Salon

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Capitol Hill, getting grilled on everything from the slumping dollar to Federal Reserve independence.

From Barron's

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent traveled to Capitol Hill, getting grilled on everything from the slumping dollar to Federal Reserve independence.

From Barron's

“This is a priority for the entire nation,” Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor Unions, said at a news conference near the state Capitol.

From Los Angeles Times