English
capelin
Capelin comes from Old Occitan capelan, from Late Latin cappellānus ‘chaplain’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput2‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaput2‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput3‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappa4‘cape’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappella5‘little coat’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappellānus6‘chaplain’
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500capelan6
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600capelan6
- Englishearliest quotation 1983capelin6
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin cappa
- 4 Wiktionary, Latin cappella
- 5 Wiktionary, Latin cappellanus
- 6 Wiktionary, English capelin
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Bodil Kaalund, The Art of Greenland: Sculpture: “The birds are spread - so that we can…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’uncertain
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaputWiktionary, Latin cappa‘head’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappaWiktionary, Latin cappella‘cape’uncertain
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappellaWiktionary, Latin cappellanus‘little coat’
- Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappellānusWiktionary, English capelin‘chaplain’
- Old Occitanc. 950–1500capelanWiktionary, English capelin
- Middle Frenchc. 1400–1600capelanWiktionary, English capelin
- Englishearliest quotation 1983capelinWiktionary, English capelin. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1983, Bodil Kaalund, The Art of Greenland: Sculpture: “The birds are spread - so that we can…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
had, case, except, heavy, accept, receive, behavior, cash, catch, achieve, heavily, chase, capacity, cable, reception, capable, occupation, haven, capture, perception, recipe, behave, recipient, hawk, anticipation, anticipate, susceptible, deception, chassis, conceive, deceive, deceptive, caption, cater, captive, capsule, deceit, captivity, cassette, conceivable, 133 more
through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’
through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’
capitalism, capitalize, capitan, capote, capitaine, 60 more
through Latin caput ‘head’
capital, chapter, captain, chef, cattle, precipitation, capitol, capita, mischief, mischievous, cad, precipitate, chieftain, occipital, precipitous, capillary, caddie, chattel, chabot, jefe, capo, capitulate, dishevelled, scamper, cabochon, caput, 67 more
through Latin cappa ‘cape’
escape, cope, cabin, cabana, escapade, capa, scamp, kaput, capuchin, chaperon, 19 more
through Latin cappella ‘little coat’
through Late Latin cappellānus ‘chaplain’
Today it means
noun A fish of species Mallotus villosus, a type of smelt found in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “capelin”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *káput, Latin caput, Latin cappa, Latin cappella, Latin cappellanus. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / capelin