Where does “chefo” come from?
chefo (Ido) comes from Esperanto ĉefo, from French chef, from Middle French chief, from Old French chief, from Vulgar Latin capum, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput — to seize, hold.
chefo (Ido): chief, leader
Ancestry of “chefo”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Esperanto | ĉefo | chief; head |
| 2 | French | chef | head; article, principal point; principal motive,... |
| 3 | Middle French | chief | head |
| 4 | Old French | chief | head; leader, chief; front |
| 5 | Vulgar Latin | capum | head, chief; head |
| 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 |