capita: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Formal, Academic, Technical
Quick answer
What does “capita” mean?
The plural form of 'caput' (Latin for 'head'), used as a unit for counting individuals, especially in statistical or economic contexts.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
The plural form of 'caput' (Latin for 'head'), used as a unit for counting individuals, especially in statistical or economic contexts.
Per capita is the main English usage, meaning 'for each person' or 'per head'. It is a standard unit of measurement in economics, sociology, and demographics to express an average figure per individual in a given population.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
No significant difference in meaning or usage. The phrase 'per capita' is used identically.
Connotations
Identical connotations of statistical measurement and average distribution.
Frequency
Slightly higher frequency in American English due to more frequent public reporting of economic statistics like GDP or income.
Grammar
How to Use “capita” in a Sentence
Used exclusively in the prepositional phrase: [PREP: per] + capitaVocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “capita” in a Sentence
adverb
British English
- The grant was allocated per capita.
American English
- The grant was allocated per capita.
adjective
British English
- The per-capita measurement is standard.
- We need per-capita data.
American English
- The per capita measurement is standard.
- We need per capita data.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
Used in reports and analysis: 'The company's per capita revenue in the region is rising.'
Academic
Used in economics, sociology, and demographics: 'The study compared per capita carbon emissions across nations.'
Everyday
Rare in casual conversation. May appear in news: 'Per capita income fell last quarter.'
Technical
A precise statistical term for normalizing data by population size.
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “capita”
- Using 'capita' alone (e.g., 'The capita increased' is incorrect).
- Misspelling as 'capitial' or 'per capital'.
- Using a singular verb with 'per capita' as the subject (e.g., 'Per capita is high' is awkward; better: 'The per capita figure is high').
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
No, in modern English, 'capita' is only used in the fixed phrase 'per capita'.
It can function as both. As an adjective: 'per capita income'. As an adverb: 'Income is distributed per capita.'
It comes directly from Latin 'capita', the plural of 'caput', meaning 'head'.
In British English: /pə ˈkæpɪtə/. In American English: /pɚ ˈkæpɪtə/.
The plural form of 'caput' (Latin for 'head'), used as a unit for counting individuals, especially in statistical or economic contexts.
Capita is usually formal, academic, technical in register.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Per capita (is the fixed expression).”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think of a CAPITAL city as the HEAD of a country. CAPITA comes from the Latin for 'heads'. So 'per capita' means 'for each HEAD/person'.
Conceptual Metaphor
POPULATION AS A BODY OF HEADS (The population is conceptualized as a collection of individual heads, which are counted).
Practice
Quiz
In which phrase is 'capita' correctly used?