Where does “madcap” come from?
madcap (English) comes from English Cap, from English Capricorn, from French Capricorne, from Latin Capricornus, from Latin caper, from Proto-Italic *kapros, from Proto-Indo-European kápros — he-goat, billy goat.
madcap (English): impulsive, hasty or reckless; capricious; An...
Definitions
- impulsive, hasty or reckless; capricious; An...
Ancestry of “madcap”, step by step
madcap traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English Cap
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Cap | A nickname for the captain of a team, ship, etc |
| 2 | English | Capricorn | Someone with a Capricorn star sign |
| 3 | French | Capricorne | Capricorn |
| 4 | Latin | Capricornus | Capricornus, the constellation of the zodiac |
| 5 | Latin | caper | a male goat, billy goat; vocative singular of... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | *kapros | he-goat |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kápros | he-goat, billy goat |
via English MAD
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | MAD | Initialism of mutually assured destruction;... |
| 2 | Middle English | mad | Mad, insane, deranged; not of sound mind;... |
| 3 | Old English | ġemǣd | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | maidijaną | to exchange, change |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | maidaz | hurt, wounded; mad, foolish; angry, enraged |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | mēy- | soft, tender, dear |