Where does “capodanno” come from?

capodanno (Italian) comes from Italian capo, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

capodanno (Italian): New Year's Day; New Year's Eve

Definitions

  1. New Year's Day; New Year's Eve

Ancestry of “capodanno”, step by step

capodanno traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Italian capo

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italiancapohead; boss, chief, leader, master; end
2Vulgar Latincapus—
3Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
4Proto-Italickaputhead
5Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
6Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

via Italian anno

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Italianannoyear; Misspelling of hanno
2Latinannusyear; time; season
3Proto-Italicatnosyear
4Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂et-no-—
5Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂et-grass
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European káput →Every word from Proto-Italic kaput →