Where does “Capitol” come from?
Capitol derives from Middle English capitolie, from Old French capitole, from Latin capitolium, originally denoting the temple of Jupiter on the Capitoline Hill in Rome.
Capitol (English): Any particular capitol, particularly
Definitions
- Any particular capitol, particularly
Ancestry of “Capitol”, step by step
Capitol traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English capitolie
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | capitolie | Roman Capitol, Capitolium |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | capitolie | — |
| 3 | Middle French | capitoile | — |
| 4 | Latin | Capitōlium | The Capitoline Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome, particularly the Roman temples there in antiquity |
| 5 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via Italian capitolo
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italian | capitolo | chapter; first-person singular present indicative... |
| 2 | Latin | capitulum | A head-like object or structure; A chapter,... |
| 3 | Latin | -ulus | Used to form a diminutive of a noun, indicating... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -olos | — |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | -elos | Forms desubstantival and deadjectival diminutive nouns |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | -e-lós | — |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -lós | Forms agent nouns from verbal roots |
via French capitole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | capitole | Capitoline Hill one of the seven hills in Rome |