Where does “caper” come from?
Capercaillie comes from Dutch kapen, derived from Dutch kaap, which traces to Old Irish caille, from Old Irish caill meaning "wood" or "forest," ultimately from Proto-Celtic kallī and Proto-Indo-European kelh₂-.
caper (English): A playful leap or jump; A jump while dancing; A...
Definitions
- A playful leap or jump; A jump while dancing; A...
Ancestry of “caper”, step by step
caper traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via English capriole
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | capriole | A leap that a horse makes with all fours, upwards... |
| 2 | French | capriole | Dated form of cabriole |
| 3 | Italian | capriola | somersault, caper, capriole; female roe deer |
| 4 | Latin | capreolus | roe deer, roebuck |
| 5 | Latin | caprea | a roe deer; a wild female goat; vocative singular... |
| 6 | Latin | -ea | nominative feminine singular of -eus; nominative... |
| 7 | Latin | -eus | argentum + API → argenteus; ferrum + API →... |
| 8 | Ancient Greek | -εῖος | Forms adjectives, usually with a meaning of "of"... |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -iHwós | — |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | -wós | Creates adjectives from verb stems |
via Dutch kaper
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | kaper | privateer, pirate; hijacker |
| 2 | Dutch | kapen | to hijack, to seize control of something -... |
| 3 | Dutch | en | and; well, so; plus, and |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | ende | and; end |
| 5 | Old Dutch | endi | end |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | andī | end |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | andijaz | end |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂entíos | front; forehead |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ent- | face; forehead; front |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂en- | on, onto |
via Latin capparis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | capparis | caper |
| 2 | Ancient Greek | κάππαρις | caper |
| 3 | Turkish | kabir | grave |
| 4 | Arabic | كَبِير | big, great, powerful; great |
| 5 | Arabic | ب | Abbreviation of باب; with, by; with |
| 6 | Arabic | طَابَق | — |
| 7 | Middle Persian | tʾp̄k' | frying pan |
| 8 | Proto-Iranian | tāpaka- | heater {{non-gloss definition|or}} baking place... |
| 9 | Proto-Iranian | tap- | to warm up, heat; flat |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | tep- | to be warm, be hot |