Where does “căpitănaș” come from?

căpitănaș (Romanian) comes from Romanian căpitan, from Italian capitano, from Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

căpitănaș (Romanian): small captain

Definitions

  1. small captain

Ancestry of “căpitănaș”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Romaniancăpitancaptain of a vessel
2Italiancapitanocaptain; first-person plural present of...
3Latincapitāneuslarge, chief in size
4Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
5Proto-Italickaputhead
6Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
7Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap-