small caps

noun

Capital letters shown in the same form but in small size (typically of the same size as lower-case letters).

Similar
small capitals
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Meanings

small caps1

nounsmall caps pl (plural only)
  1. pluralplural onlymediaCapital letters shown in the same form but in small size (typically of the same size as lower-case letters).

    Because small caps are smaller than full size caps—slightly larger than the x-height—they are less obtrusive and do not overwhelm the upper and lower case type as full size capitals would.

    2006, Nigel French, chapter 3, in InDesign Type: Professional Typography with Adobe InDesign CS2, Adobe Press, →ISBN, page 37

    Synonyms: small capitals

small caps2

noun
  1. pluralbusinessplural of small cap

    So, depending on the study you look at, small caps either outperform or they don't. But either way, we think they make a great addition to a well-diversified portfolio.

    2017, Tom Gardner, David Gardner, The Motley Fool Investment Guide, 3rd edition, Simon and Schuster, →ISBN, page 91

Synonyms & antonyms

nounCapital letters shown in the same form but in small size (typically of the same size as lower-case letters).

Similar
small capitals
Also see
small capitals

Origin

1856. Compare caps (“capitals”), 1856; small capitals, 1770.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Catalan versaleta
  • versaletafont variant
Czech kapitálky
  • kapitálkyfont variant
Danish kapitæler
  • kapitælerfont variant
Dutch kleinkapitaal
  • kleinkapitaalfont variant
Esperanto majuskleto
  • majuskletofont variant
Finnish kapiteeli
  • kapiteelifont variant
French médiuscule, petite capitale
  • médiusculefont variant
  • petite capitalefont variant
German Kapitälchen
  • Kapitälchenfont variant
Hungarian kiskapitális
  • kiskapitálisfont variant
Irish ceannlitreacha beaga
  • ceannlitreacha beagafont variant
Italian maiuscoletto
  • maiuscolettofont variant
Polish kapitalik
  • kapitalikfont variant
Portuguese versalete
  • versaletefont variant
Russian капите́ль
  • капите́ль (kapitɛ́lʹ)font variant
Spanish versalitas, versalillas
  • versalitasfont variant
  • versalillasfont variant
  • letras versalitasfont variant
  • letras versalillasfont variant
Ukrainian капіте́ль
  • капіте́ль (kapitélʹ)font variant
Cite this entry
APA

small caps. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20caps

MLA

“small caps.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20caps. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “small caps,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/small%20caps.

Source: small caps on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.