English 'capital' comes from Latin 'capitālis' (of the head), from 'caput' (head), from PIE *káput — and the financial sense arose because medieval wealth was counted in 'heads' of cattle, making 'capital,' 'cattle,' and 'chattel' three descendants of the same word for counting livestock.
Wealth in the form of money or assets available for investment; the most important city or town of a country or region.
From Latin 'capitālis' (of the head, chief, principal), from 'caput' (head), from PIE *káput (head). The financial sense developed from the medieval Latin phrase 'capitāle' (stock, property, principal sum), literally 'head (of cattle)' — wealth was measured in heads of livestock. The 'capital city' sense and the 'capital wealth' sense both derive from the idea of 'the head' — the chief city, the head sum of money. Key
'Capital,' 'cattle,' and 'chattel' are all the same word. All three descend from Latin 'caput' (head) through Medieval Latin 'capitāle' (property measured in heads of livestock). 'Cattle' and 'chattel' (movable property) are Norman French doublets of 'capital' — three spellings of the same concept: wealth counted by heads.