Where does “caporal” come from?
caporal (English) comes from French caporal, from Italian caporale, from Italian capo, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.
caporal (English): A type of shag tobacco; A foreman or overseer
Definitions
- A type of shag tobacco; A foreman or overseer
Ancestry of “caporal”, step by step
caporal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via French caporal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | French | caporal | corporal; caporal |
| 2 | Italian | caporale | corporal, lance corporal; bossy person; illegal... |
| 3 | Italian | capo | head; boss, chief, leader, master; end |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | capus | — |
| 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 Spanish caporal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spanish | caporal | corporal; foreman |