Where does “participant” come from?
participant (Middle French) comes from Latin participāns, from Latin participō, from Latin particeps, from Latin -ceps, from Old Latin -cipes, from Proto-Italic -kaputis, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput — to seize, hold.
Ancestry of “participant”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | participāns | partaking |
| 2 | Latin | participō | to partake of, participate in |
| 3 | Latin | particeps | sharing |
| 4 | Latin | -ceps | -headed; -fold; -catcher |
| 5 | Old Latin | -cipes | "third declension"; Alternative form of -ceps;... |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | -kaputis | -headed |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |