Where does “principal city” come from?
principal city (English) comes from English principal, from Old French principal, from Latin principālis, from Latin prīncipium, from Latin prīnceps, from Latin primoceps, from Latin capiō, from Proto-Italic kapiō — to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,...
Ancestry of “principal city”, step by step
principal city traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via English principal
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | principal | Primary; most important; first level in... |
| 2 | Old French | principal | — |
| 3 | Latin | principālis | first, original |
| 4 | Latin | prīncipium | a beginning, an origin, a commencement |
| 5 | Latin | prīnceps | first, foremost |
| 6 | Latin | primoceps | — |
| 7 | Latin | capiō | to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm |
| 8 | Proto-Italic | kapiō | take |
| 9 | Proto-Italic | kapjō | take, seize |
| 10 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyéti | — |
| 11 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |