Etymograph

English

capias

Capias comes from Latin capiās ‘you should seize, you are to seize’, from Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti ‘to be grasping’, and ultimately from *kap-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kapyéti1‘to be grasping’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kapjō2‘to take, seize’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEkapiō2
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiō3‘to seize’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiās3‘you should seize, you are to seize’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1596capias3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *kapjō
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin capio, which cites LIV
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English capias
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book VI, Canto VII: “All which when Cupid heard, he by and by…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, Proto-Italic *kapjōreconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kapyétiWiktionary, Proto-Italic *kapjō‘to be grasping’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kapjōWiktionary, Latin capio, which cites LIV‘to take, seize’reconstructed
  4. Archaic Latinc. 700–75 BCEkapiōWiktionary, Latin capio, which cites LIV
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiōWiktionary, English capias‘to seize’
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapiāsWiktionary, English capias‘you should seize, you are to seize’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1596capiasWiktionary, English capias. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1596, Edmund Spenser, Book VI, Canto VII: “All which when Cupid heard, he by and by…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kap-

had, head, except, heavy, behavior, catch, achieve, heavily, captain, chapter, capital, capacity, chef, occupation, acceptance, escape, haven, behave, cattle, cabin, hawk, chapel, cape, precipitation, conceive, mischief, capitol, captive, chaplain, captivity, conceivable, mischievous, capita, cad, haves, chieftain, acceptability, precipitate, heaviness, chattel, 136 more

through Proto-Indo-European *kapyéti ‘to be grasping’

heave, heaving, heft, 26 more

through Proto-Italic *kapjō ‘to take, seize’

case, chassis, capsule, cashier, cassette, casket, cajon, kas, chasse, 25 more

through Archaic Latin kapiō

acceptable, imperceptible, 22 more

through Latin capiō ‘to seize’

accept, receive, cop, cash, cable, recipe, reception, perception, capable, chase, capture, recipient, anticipation, anticipate, susceptible, deception, deceive, deceptive, caption, cater, deceit, preoccupation, receivable, perceptible, preceptor, captivate, captor, sashay, 24 more

Today it means

noun An arrest warrant; a writ commanding officers to take a specified person or persons into custody.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “capias”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Italic *kapjō, Latin capio. 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- / capias

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