Etymograph

English

capitate

Capitate comes from Latin capitātus ‘having a head’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kap-.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1‘head’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput2‘head’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaput2‘head’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput3‘head’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapitātus3‘having a head’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2020capitate3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English capitate
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2020, Jason H. Byrd: “Capitate antennae are thin through most of the structure,…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput‘head’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaputWiktionary, English capitate‘head’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapitātusWiktionary, English capitate‘having a head’
  6. Englishearliest quotation 2020capitateWiktionary, English capitate. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2020, Jason H. Byrd: “Capitate antennae are thin through most of the structure,…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’

had, case, except, heavy, accept, receive, behavior, cash, achieve, heavily, chase, catch, cable, capable, recipe, reception, capacity, perception, haven, capture, occupation, behave, hawk, recipient, susceptible, deception, anticipation, chassis, anticipate, conceive, deceive, caption, deceptive, captive, capsule, conceivable, captivity, casket, cassette, deceit, 140 more

through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’

head, 66 more

through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’

escapade, capote, 67 more

through Latin caput ‘head’

captain, chapter, escape, chef, cabin, chapel, cape, cattle, mischief, chaplain, mischievous, cad, precipitation, chieftain, cabana, caddie, capillary, chabot, precipitous, jefe, capo, dishevelled, occipital, capa, scamper, chattel, scamp, precipitate, capuchin, kaput, chaperon, cabochon, caput, 71 more

Today it means

adj Having a distinct globular tip.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “capitate”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *káput, Latin caput. 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- / capitate

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