Where does “capital” come from?

capital (Romanian) comes from French capital, from Latin capitālis, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

capital (Romanian): capital; capital, important

Definitions

  1. capital; capital, important

Ancestry of “capital”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchcapitalcapital money and wealth
2Latincapitālisof the head or life
3Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
4Proto-Italickaputhead
5Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
6Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

Words derived from “capital”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European káput →Every word from Proto-Italic kaput →