Where does “capitan” come from?
capitan (English) comes from Spanish capitán, from Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.
capitan (English): The chief admiral of the Turkish fleet
Definitions
- The chief admiral of the Turkish fleet
Ancestry of “capitan”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Spanish | capitán | captain |
| 2 | Latin | capitāneus | — |
| 3 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |