Etymograph

English

kaput

Kaput may come from German kaputt ‘broken, out of order’, from French capot ‘to be without a trick in the card game Piquet’, and 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. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappa4‘raincape or riding cloak’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400capote4‘hooded cloak’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentcapot5‘to be without a trick in the card game Piquet’
  8. Germanc. 1650–presentkaputt5‘broken, out of order’uncertain
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1998kaput5

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, French capot
  5. 5 Wiktionary, English kaput
  6. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1998, Saving Private Ryan: “German propaganda loudspeaker: […] The Statue of Liberty is…”.

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. Late Latinc. 200–600 CEcappaWiktionary, French capot‘raincape or riding cloak’
  6. Old Frenchc. 842–1400capoteWiktionary, French capot‘hooded cloak’
  7. Frenchc. 1600–presentcapotWiktionary, English kaput‘to be without a trick in the card game Piquet’
  8. Germanc. 1650–presentkaputtWiktionary, English kaput‘broken, out of order’uncertain
  9. Englishearliest quotation 1998kaputWiktionary, English kaput. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1998, Saving Private Ryan: “German propaganda loudspeaker: […] The Statue of Liberty is…”

Linked words

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

had, case, except, heavy, cash, catch, accept, receive, behavior, achieve, cable, heavily, capacity, chase, capable, recipe, reception, occupation, capture, perception, haven, behave, recipient, hawk, anticipation, anticipate, susceptible, deception, cater, chassis, caption, captive, capsule, cassette, conceive, deceive, captivity, deceptive, casket, deceit, 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, chapter, chef, cattle, capitol, precipitation, capita, cad, mischief, mischievous, chieftain, precipitate, capillary, occipital, caddie, precipitous, chattel, capo, capitulate, chabot, escapade, jefe, dishevelled, cabochon, caput, 67 more

through Late Latin cappa ‘raincape or riding cloak’

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

Today it means

adj Out of order; not working.

Sources

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

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