Where does “captainless” come from?
captainless (English) comes from English Captain, from Middle English capitain, from Old French capitaine, from Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.
captainless (English): Without a captain
Definitions
- Without a captain
Ancestry of “captainless”, step by step
captainless traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Captain
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Captain | An army officer title in most countries; The... |
| 2 | Middle English | capitain | The head of a military grouping or force; a... |
| 3 | Old French | capitaine | leader |
| 4 | Latin | capitāneus | large, chief in size |
| 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 |