Where does “Flugkapitän” come from?

Flugkapitän (German) comes from German kapitän, from Middle High German kapitān, from Old French capitaine, from Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

Flugkapitän (German): captain, aircraft captain, captain of an airliner

Definitions

  1. captain, aircraft captain, captain of an airliner

Ancestry of “Flugkapitän”, step by step

Flugkapitän traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German kapitän

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germankapitäncaptain
2Middle High Germankapitān
3Old Frenchcapitaineleader
4Latincapitāneuslarge, chief in size
5Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
6Proto-Italickaputhead
7Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
8Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

via German flug

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanflugflight (in the air)
2Old High Germanflug
3Proto-Germanicflugizflight, flying
4Proto-Germanicfleuganąto fly
5Proto-Indo-Europeanplewk-to fly, flow, run; to splash, to flap with hands
6Proto-Indo-Europeanplew-to fly, flow, run
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap-Every word from Proto-Indo-European káputEvery word from Proto-Italic kaput