Where does “capable” come from?
capable (Middle French) comes from Latin capabilis, 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 “capable”, step by step
capable traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Latin capabilis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | capabilis | comprehensible; intelligent; capable |
| 2 | Latin | capiō | to take, to capture, to catch, to seize, to take captive, to storm |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | kapiō | take |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | kapjō | take, seize |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kh₂pyéti | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | keh₂p- | to seize, grab; to seize; take up; lift; to take,... |
via Late Latin capabilis
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | capabilis | comprehensible; intelligent; capable |