Where does “chiefdom” come from?
Chiefdom derives from Middle English -dom combined with Old French chief, ultimately from Latin caput meaning "head," traced to Proto-Indo-European kauput- and kapōlo.
chiefdom (English): An area or region governed by a chief; A society...
Definitions
- An area or region governed by a chief; A society...
Ancestry of “chiefdom”, step by step
chiefdom traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English DOM
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | DOM | Initialism of date of marriage; Initialism of... |
| 2 | English | dominance | The state of being dominant; of prime importance;... |
| 3 | English | -ance | Added to an adjective or verb to form a noun... |
| 4 | Middle English | -aunce | Forms nouns indicating states or processes, usually from verbs or other nouns; -ance |
| 5 | Old French | -ance | ance (suffix used to form nouns) |
| 6 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 7 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |
via English chief
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | chief | A leader or head of a group of people,... |
| 2 | Middle English | chef | A leader, boss, or director; a chief official;... |
| 3 | Old French | chief | head; leader, chief; front |
| 4 | Vulgar Latin | capum | head, chief; head |
| 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 |