Where does “cattle” come from?
Cattle comes from Middle English catel, from Anglo-Norman catel, from Medieval Latin capitale, from Latin capitalis meaning "of the head," derived from Latin caput meaning "head."
cattle (English): Domesticated bovine animals; Certain other...
Definitions
- Domesticated bovine animals; Certain other...
Ancestry of “cattle”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle English | catel | Property, as distinguished from rent or income |
| 2 | Anglo-Norman | catel | personal property; Alternative form of chatel |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | capitale | young cattle |
| 4 | Latin | capitālis | of the head or life |
| 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 |