Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “captif” come from?

captif (Middle English) comes from Latin captīvus, from Latin captus, 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,...

captif (Middle English): A captive or hostage; Held captive; in slavery

Definitions

  1. A captive or hostage; Held captive; in slavery

Ancestry of “captif”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latincaptīvus—
2Latincaptuscaptured, having been captured, seized, having...
3Latincapiō—
4Proto-Italickapiōtake
5Proto-Italickapjōtake, seize
6Proto-Indo-Europeankh₂pyéti—
7Proto-Indo-Europeankeh₂p-to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,...

Words derived from “captif”

  • captive
  • captived
  • recaptive
  • noncaptive
  • captively
  • captivance
  • captive
Every word from Proto-Indo-European keh₂p- →