In
architecture the
capital (from the
Latin caput, or "head",
Greek kapita) forms the topmost member of a
column (or a
pilaster). It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface. The capital, projecting on each side as it rises to support the
abacus, joins the usually square abacus and the usually circular shaft of the column. The capital may be convex, as in the
Doric order; concave, as in the
inverted bell of the
Corinthian order; or scrolling out, as in the
Ionic order. These form the three principal types on which all capitals are based. The
Composite order (
illustration, right), established in the 16th century on a hint from the
Arch of Titus, adds Ionic
volutes to Corinthian
acanthus leaves.