Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “municipal” come from?

Municipal comes from French municipal, from Latin municipalis, derived from Latin municip- (municipality) plus the Latin suffix -alis, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root keh₂p- meaning to seize or take.

municipal (English): Of or pertaining to a municipality; Of or...

Definitions

  1. Of or pertaining to a municipality; Of or...

Ancestry of “municipal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchmunicipalmunicipal
2Latinmūnicipālis—
3Latinmūnicipium—
4Latinmūniceps—
5Latin-ceps-headed; -fold; -catcher
6Old Latin-cipes"third declension"; Alternative form of -ceps;...
7Proto-Italic-kaputis-headed
8Proto-Italickaputhead
9Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
10Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

Words derived from “municipal”

  • municipally
  • municipalization
  • intermunicipal
  • municipalism
  • municipalize
  • nonmunicipal
  • municipalise
  • submunicipal
  • quasimunicipal
  • intermunicipality
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →