Where does “chief” come from?
chief (Old French) comes from Vulgar Latin capum, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.
chief (Old French): head; leader, chief; front
Definitions
- head; leader, chief; front
Ancestry of “chief”, step by step
chief traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Vulgar Latin capum
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vulgar Latin | capum | head, chief; head |
| 2 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 3 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via Vulgar Latin capus
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vulgar Latin | capus | — |