Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “headpiece” come from?

Headpiece comes from Middle English hedpiece, composed of head (from Old English hēafod, from Latin pettia, from Proto-Indo-European kauput- meaning "head") and piece (from Old English pece, from Latin pettia meaning "part or portion").

headpiece (English): The head; the brain; Something covering the head;...

Definitions

  1. The head; the brain; Something covering the head;...

Ancestry of “headpiece”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishpieceA part of a larger whole, usually in such a form...
2Middle Englishpecepiece; morsel; bit
3Old Frenchpiecepiece, bit, part; circa 1170, Chrétien de Troyes
4Vulgar Latinpettiapiece, portion
5Latinpettiapiece, portion
6Gaulishpettyā—
7Proto-Celtickʷezdispiece, portion
Every word from Proto-Celtic kʷezdis →