Where does “kapten” come from?

kapten (Estonian) comes from Late Latin capitaneus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

kapten (Estonian): captain; captain; the athlete a sports team who...

Definitions

  1. captain; captain; the athlete a sports team who...

Ancestry of “kapten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Late Latincapitaneuscaptain
2Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
3Proto-Italickaputhead
4Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
5Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap-