Etymology of the French word capitaine
the Old French word
capitainederived from the Latin word
capitaneus (captain; large, chief in size; capital)
derived from the Latin word
caput (head; small head; head; head; head; head; person; life; heading; chapter, principal division)
derived from the Proto-Indo-European root
*kaput- (head)
Date
The earliest known usage of capitaine in French dates from the 13th century.
Derivations in French
capitainerieDerivations in other languages
English
captainCognates
Catalan
capitá, Dutch
kapitein, English
captain, English
chieftain, French
capitain, German
Kapitän, Italian
capitano, Latin
capitaneus, Lithuanian
kapitonas, Norwegian
kaptein, Polish
kapitan, Portuguese
capitão, Russian
кaпитaн, Spanish
capitán, Spanish
capitan, Swedish
kaptenUsage
Word found in Old French
