English
occiput
Occiput comes from Latin occiput ‘the back part of 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’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEocciput4‘the back part of the head’
- Englishearliest quotation 1953occiput4
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor
- 1 Wiktionary, Proto-Indo-European *káput
- 2 Wiktionary, Latin caput
- 3 Wiktionary, Latin occiput
- 4 Wiktionary, English occiput
- Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1953, Isaac Asimov, 9: The Conspirators: “And then came Turbor, who sat quietly and unemotionally…”.
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, Latin occiput‘the head’
- Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEocciputWiktionary, English occiput‘the back part of the head’
- Englishearliest quotation 1953occiputWiktionary, English occiput. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: 1953, Isaac Asimov, 9: The Conspirators: “And then came Turbor, who sat quietly and unemotionally…”
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’
had, case, except, heavy, cash, catch, receive, behavior, accept, capable, achieve, cable, heavily, capacity, chase, capture, reception, perception, haven, behave, occupation, hawk, recipe, caption, captive, capsule, susceptible, deception, recipient, captivity, cater, chassis, anticipation, anticipate, cassette, conceive, deceive, deceptive, casket, deceit, 133 more
through Proto-Indo-European *káput ‘head’
through Proto-Italic *kaput ‘head’
capitalism, capitalize, capitan, capote, escapade, capitaine, 60 more
through Latin caput ‘the head’
capital, captain, chapter, escape, cape, chef, cattle, cabin, chapel, capitol, capita, chaplain, cad, precipitation, mischief, mischievous, capillary, chieftain, capo, cabana, capa, caddie, chattel, capitulate, precipitate, scamper, scamp, chabot, precipitous, jefe, dishevelled, capuchin, chaperon, cabochon, kaput, caput, 68 more
Today it means
noun The back part of the head or skull.
Sources
Sources: Wiktionary, “occiput”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entries for Proto-Indo-European *káput, Latin caput, Latin occiput. 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- / occiput