Where does “corporal” come from?
Corporal comes from French caporal, from Italian caporale, from Latin capitālis (relating to the head), derived from Latin caput (head).
corporal (English): Having a physical, tangible body; material,...
Definitions
- Having a physical, tangible body; material,...
Ancestry of “corporal”, step by step
| 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 |