Etymology Explorer › Swedish

Where does “kapten” come from?

kapten (Swedish) comes from Old Swedish kapiten, from Old French capitaine, from Latin capitāneus, from Latin caput, from Proto-Italic kaput, from Proto-Indo-European káput, from Proto-Indo-European kap- — to seize, hold.

kapten (Swedish): captain; the person lawfully in command of a...

Definitions

  1. captain; the person lawfully in command of a...

Ancestry of “kapten”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Swedishkapiten—
2Old Frenchcapitaineleader
3Latincapitāneus—
4Latincaputhead; headlike protuberance on an organ or body...
5Proto-Italickaputhead
6Proto-Indo-Europeankáputhead
7Proto-Indo-Europeankap-to seize, hold

Words derived from “kapten”

  • kaapparikapteeni
  • komentajakapteeni
  • kapteeni
  • kapu
  • örlogskapten
  • kommendörkapten
Every word from Proto-Indo-European kap- →