Where does “Kapstadt” come from?
Kapstadt (German) comes from German kap, from Middle Low German kap, from Middle French cap, from Old Occitan cap, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput — to seize, hold.
Ancestry of “Kapstadt”, step by step
Kapstadt traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via German kap
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | German | kap | cape (headland) |
| 2 | Middle Low German | kap | — |
| 3 | Middle French | cap | head |
| 4 | Old Occitan | cap | — |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | capus | — |
| 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 |
via English Cape Town
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Cape Town | — |
| 2 | Dutch | Kaapstad | — |
| 3 | Dutch | stad | city, town; the town/city centre |
| 4 | Middle Dutch | stat | place; position, station; rank, status |
| 5 | Old Dutch | stad | a site, place, location, standing |
| 6 | Proto-Germanic | stadiz | place, location |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | stéh₂tis | standing, position |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | *steh₂- | — |