Cultural capital
Etymology
Coined by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, with Jean-Claude Passeron, in the 1970s as "capital culturel." He borrowed the economic metaphor of "capital" — from Latin "capitalis," "of the head" — and extended it to inherited knowledge and dispositions that convert into advantage. Flagged as a deliberate coinage.
noun phrase · /KUHL-cher-uhl KAP-ih-tuhl/
The non-financial social assets — tastes, manners, credentials, references — that signal status and open doors.
What it names
Why knowing which fork to use or which authors to name-drop can matter as much as money, useful for seeing class as more than income.
Example
Elite internships often reward cultural capital — the easy confidence of kids who grew up around professionals — as much as any measurable skill.
Related idea
Compare conspicuous consumption, which is about display through spending; cultural capital can be quiet and unbuyable, accrued over a lifetime of exposure.