Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “capillary” come from?

Capillary derives from Latin capillaris, formed with the suffix -aris from Latin capillus, which traces to Proto-Indo-European kauput- meaning head.

capillary (English): of or pertaining to hair; pertaining to a narrow...

Definitions

  1. of or pertaining to hair; pertaining to a narrow...

Ancestry of “capillary”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincapillāris—
2Latincapillusa hair; hair; a head of hair: locks, tresses
3Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
4Proto-Italickaputhead
5Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
6Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

Words derived from “capillary”

  • precapillary
  • postcapillary
  • capillaritis
  • microcapillary
  • thermocapillary
  • transcapillary
  • capillarization
  • intercapillary
  • electrocapillary
  • alveolocapillary
  • pericapillary
  • multicapillary
  • endocapillary
  • nanocapillary
  • arteriocapillary
  • noncapillary
  • magnetocapillary
  • megacapillary
  • elastocapillary
  • optocapillary
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →