Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “kerchiefed” come from?

kerchiefed (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.

kerchiefed (English): Wearing a kerchief

Definitions

  1. Wearing a kerchief

Ancestry of “kerchiefed”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishkerchiefA piece of cloth used to cover the head; a...
2Middle Englishkeverchef—
3Old Frenchcouvrechief—
4Old Frenchchiefhead; leader, chief; front
5Vulgar Latincapumhead, chief; head
6Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
7Proto-Italickaputhead
8Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
9Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →