capus

Latin

Etymology 1

Reinterpretation of the Classical third-declension neuter caput as a second-declension masculine, likely due to the loss of the final /t/, which caused it to be reanalyzed as capum.

Pronunciation

(Proto-Romance) IPA^(key): /ˈkapʊs/

Noun

capus m (genitive capī); second declension

(Late Latin, nonstandard) Alternative form of caput (“head”)
- 6th century C.E., Circus Flaminius, Rome CIL .VI 29849a:
  roma capvs mvndi
  Rome [is] the head of the world.

Inflection

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	capus	capī
Genitive	capī	capōrum
Dative	capō	capīs
Accusative	capum	capōs
Ablative	capō	capīs
Vocative	cape	capī

Descendants

Balkan Romance:
- Aromanian: cap
- Romanian: cap
Dalmatian:
- cup
Italo-Romance:
- Corsican: capu
- Italian: capo
  - → English: capo
  - →? Istriot: capo
  - → Spanish: capo
- Sicilian: capu, capa
Padanian
- Emilian: cò
- Friulian: cjâf, čhâv
- Ladin: cë
- Lombard: cò
- Romansch: chau, tgau, cheu, tgieu, cho, tgea
- Venetian: cao, cavo
Northern Gallo-Romance:
- Old French: chief (see there for further descendants)
  - French: chef
Southern Gallo-Romance:
- Catalan: cap
- Old Occitan: cap
  - Occitan: cap
  - → Middle French: cap
    - French: cap
    - → English: cape
Ibero-Romance:
- Asturian: cabu
- Galician: cabo
- Portuguese: cabo
- Spanish: cabo
Insular Romance:
- Sardinian: cabu

References

Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1911), “caput”, in Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch (in German), page 130

Pronunciation

(Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈkaː.pus/, [ˈkäːpʊs̠]

(Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /ˈka.pus/, [ˈkäːpus]

Noun

cāpus m (genitive cāpī); second declension

Archaic form of cāpō (“capon”)

Inflection

Second-declension noun.

Case	Singular	Plural
Nominative	cāpus	cāpī
Genitive	cāpī	cāpōrum
Dative	cāpō	cāpīs
Accusative	cāpum	cāpōs
Ablative	cāpō	cāpīs
Vocative	cāpe	cāpī