Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Cabo Verde” come from?

Cabo Verde (English) comes from Portuguese Cabo Verde, from Portuguese Cabo, from Old Portuguese cabo, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

Ancestry of “Cabo Verde”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1PortugueseCabo VerdeGreen Cape
2PortugueseCabo—
3Old Portuguesecabobesides; nearby
4Vulgar Latincapus—
5Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
6Proto-Italickaputhead
7Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
8Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →