Definition of the word capstone

The term "capstone" originally refers to the top, covering stone placed on a folk or medieval building, typically at the pinnacle or ridgeline to protect the structure from weather elements. In a figurative sense, it came to be associated with concluding a process or achieving the ultimate objective, often taken to signify the most significant, advanced, and demanding academic assignment in a curriculum or a course, typically serving as a project for graduation. This use of the term, as an academic term, became increasingly popular in the 1970s and 1980s, particularly in the field of engineering and architecture, and has since spread to education and training programmes more generally.