Where does “headkerchief” come from?
headkerchief (English) comes from English kerchief, from Middle English keverchef, from Old French couvrechief, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capum, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput — to seize, hold.
headkerchief (English): A kerchief worn on the head
Definitions
- A kerchief worn on the head
Ancestry of “headkerchief”, step by step
headkerchief traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English kerchief
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | kerchief | A piece of cloth used to cover the head; a... |
| 2 | Middle English | keverchef | A headcloth or kerchief; a cover for the head usually of a woman |
| 3 | Old French | couvrechief | — |
| 4 | Old French | chief | head; leader, chief; front |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | capum | head, chief; head |
| 6 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via English head
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | head | The part of the body of an animal or human which... |
| 2 | English | -y | Added to nouns and adjectives to form adjectives... |
| 3 | Middle English | -y | Designates an adjective, in many cases formed by... |
| 4 | Old English | -iġ | -y, -ic |
| 5 | Proto-West Germanic | -g | Forms adjectives from nouns and verbs with a... |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | -gaz | -y |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | -ḱos | -y, -ic |