English
caput
Caput comes from Latin caput ‘the head’, and goes back to Proto-Indo-European *kap-.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput2‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaput2‘head’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput3‘the head’
- Englishearliest quotation 1823caput3
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
- 3 Wiktionary, English caput
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1823, Elia pseudonym; Charles Lamb, Oxford in the Vacation: “D. has been engaged, he tells me, through a…”.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’reconstructed
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaputWiktionary, English caput‘the head’
- Englishearliest quotation 1823caputWiktionary, English caput. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1823, Elia pseudonym; Charles Lamb, Oxford in the Vacation: “D. has been engaged, he tells me, through a…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
had, case, except, heavy, accept, receive, behavior, cash, achieve, catch, heavily, chase, capacity, cable, recipe, reception, occupation, perception, capable, haven, behave, capture, recipient, hawk, anticipation, anticipate, susceptible, deception, chassis, conceive, deceive, deceptive, cater, caption, deceit, captive, capsule, cassette, conceivable, captivity, 133 more
through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’
through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’
capitalism, capitalize, capitan, capitaine, 60 more
through Latin caput ‘the head’
capital, chapter, captain, chef, escape, cattle, cabin, chapel, precipitation, cape, capitol, mischief, capita, chaplain, mischievous, cad, chieftain, precipitate, occipital, precipitous, chattel, capillary, cabana, caddie, chabot, jefe, dishevelled, capitulate, scamper, escapade, capote, capo, scamp, capa, chaperon, cabochon, capuchin, kaput, 66 more
Today it means
noun The head.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “caput”; 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- / caput