Where does “prince” come from?
prince (Middle Dutch) comes from Old French prince, from Latin prīnceps, from Latin primoceps, from Latin capiō, from Proto-Italic kapiō, from Proto-Italic kapjō, from Proto-Indo-European kh₂pyéti, from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p- — to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,...
Ancestry of “prince”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old French | prince | prince |
| 2 | Latin | prīnceps | first, foremost |
| 3 | Latin | primoceps | — |
| 4 | Latin | capiō | to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | kapiō | take |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | kapjō | take, seize |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyéti | — |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |