Where does “quatrocentos” come from?
quatrocentos (Old Portuguese) comes from Old Portuguese quatro, from Latin quattuor, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.
Ancestry of “quatrocentos”, step by step
quatrocentos traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Old Portuguese quatro
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Portuguese | quatro | four |
| 2 | Latin | quattuor | four; 4 |
| 3 | Latin | caput | head; headlike protuberance on an organ or body... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | kaput | head |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | káput | head |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | kap- | to seize, hold |
via Old Portuguese centos
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Old Portuguese | centos | hundred |