Etymograph

English

chattel

Chattel comes from Old French chatel ‘possession’, from Latin capitālis ‘of the head or life’, 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’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapitālis4‘of the head or life’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500capitāle5
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chatel5‘possession’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chatel5
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1955chattel5

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
  2. 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
  3. 3 Wiktionary, Latin capitalis
  4. 4 Wiktionary, Latin capitale
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English chattel
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring [Book 2: “Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths!”.

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, Latin capitalis‘head’uncertain
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEcapitālisWiktionary, Latin capitale‘of the head or life’
  6. Medieval Latinc. 600–1500capitāleWiktionary, English chattel
  7. Old Frenchc. 842–1400chatelWiktionary, English chattel‘possession’
  8. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500chatelWiktionary, English chattel
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1955chattelWiktionary, English chattel. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1955, J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring [Book 2: “Not all his servants and chattels are wraiths!”

Linked words

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

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

through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’

head, 59 more

through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’

capitan, escapade, capote, capitaine, 60 more

through Latin caput ‘head’

capital, captain, escape, cape, cabin, chapter, capitol, chef, capita, precipitation, cad, chapel, mischief, chaplain, mischievous, capillary, capo, chieftain, cabana, occipital, capa, caddie, precipitous, precipitate, scamper, scamp, jefe, capuchin, capitulate, kaput, dishevelled, caput, chabot, cabochon, chaperon, 66 more

through Latin capitālis ‘of the head or life’

capitalism, capitalize

through Medieval Latin capitāle

cattle

Today it means

noun Tangible, movable property.

Sources

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

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