Etymograph

English

capitation

Capitation comes from Latin capitātiōnem, from caput ‘head’, and ultimately from 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 CEcapitātiōnem3
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1996capitation3

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
  3. 3 Wiktionary, English capitation
  4. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1996, The Capitation Sourcebook: a practical g: “Capitation started out as a popular method for reimbursing…”.

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 capitation‘head’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapitātiōnemWiktionary, English capitation
  6. Englishearliest quotation 1996capitationWiktionary, English capitation. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1996, The Capitation Sourcebook: a practical g: “Capitation started out as a popular method for reimbursing…”

Linked words

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

had, case, except, heavy, accept, receive, cash, achieve, behavior, heavily, catch, chase, cable, capable, capacity, recipe, haven, capture, behave, hawk, reception, recipient, perception, occupation, susceptible, chassis, anticipate, capsule, deceive, cassette, conceive, anticipation, deception, captive, deceptive, cater, casket, deceit, conceivable, captivity, 137 more

through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’

head, 63 more

through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’

capote, escapade, 64 more

through Latin caput ‘head’

chapter, captain, escape, chef, cabin, cape, chapel, cattle, mischief, capitalism, chaplain, cad, mischievous, precipitation, chieftain, capitalize, cabana, capillary, caddie, chattel, capo, precipitous, chabot, jefe, precipitate, capa, occipital, dishevelled, scamper, scamp, capuchin, kaput, capitulate, chaperon, cabochon, caput, 68 more

Today it means

noun Performing a headcount; the counting of people.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “capitation”; 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- / capitation

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