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Discuss Email this Feedback RSS/XML Permalink A.Word.A.Day--capitation This week's theme: words related to death and taxes. capitation (kap-i-TAY-shuhn) noun 1. A counting of heads. 2. A uniform tax assessed by the head; a poll tax. 3. A fee extracted from each student. [From Late Latin capitation- (poll tax), from caput (head). Ultimately from Indo-European root kaput- (head), also the origin of head, captain, chef, chapter, cadet, cattle, chattel, achieve, biceps, and mischief, (but not of kaput).] Today's word in Visual Thesaurus. -Anu Garg (garg AT wordsmith.org) "Later, [the] Supreme Court appointed a committee under Justice Jahagirdar to ensure that the private medical colleges charge no undue capitation fees." HC Gives Reprieve to Medical Students; Afternoon Despatch & Courier (Mumbai, India); Mar 7, 2006. X-Bonus There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to prevent its ascendancy. -Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect and author (1743-1826)

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