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Whenever I write 'rugby', I always want to capitalise the R, since the name originates from Rugby School in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire.

Does anyone else still adhere to a policy of capitalising the initial letter of words that derive from proper nouns?

herisson
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WS2
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No, don't capitalise rugby the game.

The game was originally and in fact is also still called rugby football. In the 19th and first half of the 20th centuries it was often written Rugby football (and Rugby match, Rugby players, Rugby authority, Rugby code).

But rugby the game's been part of the language for long enough to have become a word in its own right, independent of the town of Rugby.

Hugo
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  • Yes. I'm glad the 'football' part is falling into decline, for anything other than football. Both by its sheer following around the world, and the nature of the game's rules, proper football has a prior claim on the term. Anyway, thanks, I shall consider I am relieved of the need to capitalise the R in rugby any longer. – WS2 Dec 11 '14 at 10:23
  • Point of fact: it was originally Rugby football (having been developed at Rugby school), as opposed to Winchester football, Harrow football or the later Association football. Like many such words, it is now often spelled with a small letter. – Tim Lymington Jan 09 '15 at 21:55