capitalism

C1 Topic:Business & Commerce

US /ˈkæpɪ̈tl̩ˌɪzm̩/ UK /ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m/ See IPA manual

noun Freq #12405

Meanings

1

noun
An economic system in which businesses and property are privately owned and run for profit.

Under capitalism, companies compete freely in the market.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · an economic system in which... capitalist economy

Word family

Derived forms anarcho-capitalismanti-capitalismanticapitalismbiocapitalismcountercapitalismcrapitalismcybercapitalismeco-capitalismecocapitalismhandicapitalismhomocapitalismhyper-capitalism

Related forms authoritarianismbolshevismbushismcapital capitalist capitalisticcapitalisticallyclintonismcollectivism communism conservatismfascism

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].

*kap- Proto-Indo-European capitalisme French *káput Proto-Indo-European

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Topics

Business & Commerce Word Formation & Derivatives

# capitalism

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈkæpɪ̈tl̩ˌɪzm̩
**IPA (UK):** ˈkapɪt(ə)lɪz(ə)m
**Frequency rank:** 12405

## Meanings
1. An economic system in which businesses and property are privately owned and run for profit.

## Examples
- Under capitalism, companies compete freely in the market.

## Derived Forms
- anarcho-capitalism
- anti-capitalism
- anticapitalism
- biocapitalism
- countercapitalism
- crapitalism
- cybercapitalism
- eco-capitalism
- ecocapitalism
- handicapitalism
- homocapitalism
- hyper-capitalism

## Related Forms
- authoritarianism
- bolshevism
- bushism
- capital
- capitalist
- capitalistic
- capitalistically
- clintonism
- collectivism
- communism
- conservatism
- fascism

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *kap-
- Root: capitalisme
- Root: *káput
- Affix: -ism - doctrine

## 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].

## AI Etymology
Capitalism is 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]. The analysis is mainly morphological: the modern nominal form is built from the named base and affix. Important recorded forms include *kap- (Proto-Indo-European), capitalisme (French), and *káput (Proto-Indo-European). Current senses include an economic system in which businesses and property are privately owned and run for profit. The wider family includes derived forms such as anarcho-capitalism, anti-capitalism, anticapitalism, biocapitalism, and countercapitalism and related words such as authoritarianism, bolshevism, bushism, capital, and capitalist.

## Topics
- Business & Commerce
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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