Etymograph

English

chaplain

Chaplain comes from Old French chapelain, from Late Latin cappella ‘little coat’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-1‘head’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput2‘head’uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaput2‘head’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaput3‘head’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappa4‘cape’uncertain
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappella5‘little coat’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappellānus5
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chapelain5
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chapeleyn5‘a chaplain’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 2021chaplain5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin cappa
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin cappella
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English chaplain
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2021, Stefanie Foster, Network News: Countdown is on to the National Rail Awards 20: “The Railway Mission's regionally based chaplains perform the role…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput‘head’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*káputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’uncertain
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*kaputWiktionary, Latin caput‘head’uncertain
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcaputWiktionary, Latin cappa‘head’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcappaWiktionary, Latin cappella‘cape’uncertain
  6. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappellaWiktionary, English chaplain‘little coat’
  7. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappellānusWiktionary, English chaplain
  8. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chapelainWiktionary, English chaplain
  9. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chapeleynWiktionary, English chaplain‘a chaplain’
  10. Englishearliest quotation 2021chaplainWiktionary, English chaplain. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 2021, Stefanie Foster, Network News: Countdown is on to the National Rail Awards 20: “The Railway Mission's regionally based chaplains perform the role…”

Linked words

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

had, case, except, heavy, cash, accept, receive, catch, cable, heavily, capacity, behavior, capable, achieve, capture, recipe, reception, occupation, perception, chase, recipient, haven, behave, anticipation, anticipate, susceptible, deception, hawk, cater, caption, captive, capsule, cassette, captivity, conceive, deceive, deceptive, casket, deceit, chassis, 133 more

through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’

head, 59 more

through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’

capitalism, capitalize, capitan, capote, capitaine, 60 more

through Latin caput ‘head’

capital, captain, cattle, chapter, chef, capitol, precipitation, capita, cad, mischief, mischievous, precipitate, occipital, caddie, precipitous, capillary, capo, chieftain, escapade, jefe, dishevelled, capitulate, chattel, chabot, caput, cabochon, 67 more

through Latin cappa ‘cape’

escape, cape, cope, cabin, cabana, capa, scamper, scamp, kaput, capuchin, chaperon, 19 more

through Late Latin cappella ‘little coat’

chapel, 3 more

Today it means

noun A member of a religious body (who is often, although not always, of the clergy) officially assigned to provide pastoral care at an institution, group, private chapel, etc.

Sources

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

Shirt and support for this word