Where does “captain” come from?
Captain comes from Old French capitaine, derived from Latin caput meaning "head," ultimately from Proto-Indo-European kauput- or kapōlo with the same sense.
captain (English): A chief or leader; The person lawfully in command...
Definitions
- A chief or leader; The person lawfully in command...
Ancestry of “captain”, step by step
captain traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Middle English capitain
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | capitain | The head of a military grouping or force; a... |
| 2 | Old French | capitaine | leader |
| 3 | Latin | capitāneus | large, chief in size |
| 4 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via Middle English capteyn
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | capteyn | Alternative form of capitain |