Where does “merikapteeni” come from?
merikapteeni (Finnish) comes from Finnish kapteeni, from Swedish kapten, from Old Swedish kapiten, from Old French capitaine, from Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput — to seize, hold.
merikapteeni (Finnish): sea captain
Definitions
- sea captain
Ancestry of “merikapteeni”, step by step
merikapteeni traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Finnish kapteeni
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Finnish | kapteeni | A captain; A pilot in command |
| 2 | Swedish | kapten | captain; the person lawfully in command of a... |
| 3 | Old Swedish | kapiten | — |
| 4 | Old French | capitaine | leader |
| 5 | Latin | capitāneus | large, chief in size |
| 6 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |