capita

capita — noun

1. the Latin plural of 'caput' (head), meaning 'heads' or 'individuals'. In modern

1.名詞
釋義

the Latin plural of 'caput' (head), meaning 'heads' or 'individuals'. In modern English it appears only inside the fixed phrase 'per capita', which is used when dividing a total amount by the number of people in a group to get an average per person.

例句

Switzerland has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.

fixed phrase 'per capita' used as adjective

The government measures per capita water consumption to track regional shortages.

同義詞
  • per head

    less formal equivalent of 'per capita'; common in everyday speech

  • per person

    neutral alternative, used in both formal and informal contexts

  • per individual

    formal synonym, emphasises each separate person

文法句型

used only within the fixed phrase 'per capita'

用法筆記

The word 'capita' never appears alone in modern English — it is always part of the fixed phrase 'per capita'. Do not write 'capita income' without 'per'. The phrase 'per capita' can be used as an adjective (e.g., 'per capita income') or an adverb (e.g., 'income per capita'). The singular Latin form 'caput' is never used in this context.

常見錯誤

❌The capita income rose by 3%.
✅The per capita income rose by 3%.
💡'capita' must always be preceded by 'per' in the fixed phrase.
❌Per capita taxes increased.' (when meaning total taxes per person)
✅Taxes per capita increased.
💡when used adverbially, place 'per capita' after the noun it modifies.