Where does “quadriceps” come from?

Quadriceps comes from Latin quadriceps, combining Latin quadri- (four) and Latin caput (head), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p- meaning to seize or grasp.

quadriceps (English): A muscle having four heads, especially the large...

Definitions

  1. A muscle having four heads, especially the large...

Ancestry of “quadriceps”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinquadricepsfour-headed, having four heads
2Latin-ceps-headed; -fold; -catcher
3Old Latin-cipes"third declension"; Alternative form of -ceps;...
4Proto-Italic-kaputis-headed
5Proto-Italickaputhead
6Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
7Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

Words derived from “quadriceps”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European káput →Every word from Proto-Italic kaput →