Online Etymology Dictionary

capillary: 1656, from L. capillaris "of hair," from capillus "hair" (of the head). Capillarity is recorded from 1830.
capital: early 13c., from L. capitalis "of the head," from caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). A capital crime (1520s) is one that affects the life, or the "head." The noun meaning "capital city" is first recorded 1660s (the O.E. word was heafodstol); meaning "a capital letter" is recorded from 1640s. The financial sense (1620s) is from L.L. capitale "stock, property," neut. of capitalis. Of ships, "first-rate, of the line," attested from 1650s. Capital gain is recorded from 1921. Capital goods is recorded from 1899. Capital punishment was in Blackstone (1765).
capital letter: late 14c.; see capital. So called because it is at the "head" of a sentence or word.
capitalise: alt. British spelling of capitalize (q.v.). For suffix, see -ize.
capitalism: 1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.
capitalist (n.): 1791, from Fr. capitaliste, a coinage of the Revolution and a term of reproach; see capital. Capitalistic is from 1873.
capitalization: 1860, "act of converting (assets) to capital," from capital in the financial sense. Meaning "act of writing or printing in capital letters" is recorded from 1864.
capitalize: "act of writing or printing in capital letters," 1764, from capital. Meaning "to convert (assets) to capital" is recorded from 1868. Capitalized is recorded from 1863. Capitalizing is from 1880.
capitate: 1661, from L. capitatus "headed," from caput "head" (see head).
capitation: 1614, "counting of heads," from L. capitationem, from caput "head" (see head). Meaning "levying of a poll tax" is from 1641.
Capitol: "building where U.S. Congress meets," 1793 (in writings of Thomas Jefferson), from L. Capitolium, temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill in ancient Rome. Used earlier of Virginia state houses (1699). Its use in American public architecture deliberately evokes Roman republican imagery. With reference to the Roman citadel, it is recorded from late 14c. Relationship to capital is likely but not certain.
capitulate (v.): 1580, "to draw up in chapters" (i.e., under "heads"), from M.L. capitulatus, pp. of capitulare "to draw up in heads or chapters, arrange conditions" (see capitulation). Often of terms of surrender, hence meaning "to yield on stipulated terms" (1689). Capitulated is from 1586; capitulating from 1654.
capitulation: 1535, "an agreement," from M.Fr. capitulation, from capituler "agree on specified terms," from M.L. capitulare "to draw up in heads or chapters, arrange conditions," from capitulum "chapter," from L. "heading," dim. of caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). Meaning narrowed by 1650 to "make terms of surrender."
capitulum: c.1750, from L., lit. "little head," dim. of caput "head" (see head).
capo (1): "leader of a Mafia 'family,' " 1952, from It., lit. "head."
capo (2): "pitch-altering device for a stringed instrument," 1946, short for capo tasto (1876), from It., lit. "head stop."
capon: O.E., "a castrated cock," probably reinforced by O.N.Fr. capon, from L. caponem (nom. capo) "to strike off," from PIE base *(s)kep- "to cut."
capote: "long cloak with a hood," 1812, from Fr. capote, fem. of capot (17c.), dim. of cape (see cape (1)).
Cappadocia: ancient name for the region roughly corresponding to modern Turkey, from Gk. Kappadokía, perhaps ult. from Pers. Hvaspadakhim "land of fine horses."
cappella: see a cappella.
cappuccino: 1948, from It. Capuchin in allusion to the beverage's color and its supposed resemblance to that of the brown hoods of the Friars Minor Capuchins (see Capuchin).
Capri: island in the Bay of Naples, of unknown origin: L. capra "she-goat," Gk. kapros "boar," Etruscan capra "burial place" all have been suggested. As a type of wine, 1877; as a type of pants, 1956 (see Capri pants).
Capri pants: 1956 (said to have been designed c.1948), from Capri, It. island; so called perhaps because they were first popular in Capri, which was emerging as a European tourist destination about this time (cf. Bermuda shorts).
capriccio: 1690s as a term in music, from It. capriccio "sudden start or motion," apparently from capro "goat," from L. capreolus "wild goat." Earlier it meant "prank, trick" (1660s); "caprice" (c.1600).
caprice: 1667, from Fr. caprice "whim," from It. capriccio "whim," orig. "a shivering," probably from capro "goat," with reference to frisking; but another theory connects the It. word with capo "head" + riccio "curl, frizzled," lit. "hedgehog," from L. ericius. The notion is of the hair standing on end in horror.
capricious: 1594, from Fr. capricieux (16c.), from It. capriccioso, from capriccio (see capriccio). Capriciously is recorded from 1746; capriciousness from 1617.
Capricorn: "zodiac sign," c.1391, from L. Capricornus, lit. "horned like a goat," from caper (gen. capri) "goat" + cornu "horn;" a loan-transl. of Gk. Aigokheros, the name of the constellation. Extended 1894 to persons born under the sign.
caprine: "goat-like," c.1600, from L. caprinus, from caper "goat."
capris: "Capri pants," 1966, see Capri pants.
capsaicin: from capsicum, from which it is extracted + chemical suffixes.
capsicum: 1664, genus of pepper plants, of unknown origin, said to have been chosen by Fr. botanist Joseph Pitton de Tournefort (1656—1708) and generally connected with L. capsa "box" (see case (2)).
capsid: 1964, from Fr. capside (1959), from L. capsa "box" (see case (2)).
capsize: 1788, a nautical word of obscure origin, perhaps (as Skeat suggests) from Sp. capuzar "to sink by the head," from cabo "head."
capstan: early 14c., from O.Fr. cabestant, from O.Prov. cabestan, from capestre "pulley cord," from L. capistrum "halter," from capere "to hold, take" (see capable).
capstone: topmost stone in a construction, 1685, from cap + stone. Earliest use is figurative.
capsule: 1652, from Fr. capsule "a membranous sac," from L. capsula dim. of capsa "box, case, chest" (see case (2)). Medical sense is 1875; shortened form cap is from 1942. Sense in space capsule is first recorded 1954. Capsulize, of news, etc., is from 1950.
captain: late 14c., "one who stands at the head of others," from O.Fr. capitaine, from L.L. capitaneus "chief," n. use of adj. capitaneus "prominent, chief," from L. caput (gen. capitis) "head" (see head). Military sense of "officer who commands a company" (rank between major and lieutenant) is from 1560s; naval sense of "officer who commands a man-of-war" is from 1550s, extended to "master or commander of a vessel of any kind" by 1704. Sporting sense is first recorded 1823.
caption: late 14c., "taking, seizure," from O.Fr. capcion, from L. capito pp. of capere "to take" (see capable). Sense evolved from headings of legal indictments involving seizure ("Certificate of caption"), the word being taken to mean the beginning of any document; thus "heading of a chapter or section of an article" (1789), and, especially in U.S., "description or title below an illustration" (1919).
captious: c.1408, from M.Fr. captieux, from L. captiosus, from captio "a deceiving, fallacious argument," lit. "a taking (in)," from capere "to take, catch" (see capable).
captivate: c.1526, "to enthrall with charm," from L.L. captivat-, pp. stem of captivare "to take," from captivus (see captive). Lit. sense (c.1555) is rare or obs. Captivated is attested from 1621; captivating from 1675.
captive (n.): late 14c., from L. captivus, from captus, pp. of capere "to take, hold, seize" (see capable). Replaced O.E. hæftling, from hæft "taken, seized."
captivity: early 14c., from L. captivitas, from captivus (see captive).
captor: 1688, from L. captor, agent noun from capere "to take" (see capable). Fem. form captress recorded from 1867.
capture (n.): 1540s, from M.Fr. capture "a taking," from L. captura "a taking," from captus (see captive). The verb is 1795; in chess, checkers, etc., 1820.
Capuchin: 1528, from Fr. capuchin (Mod.Fr. capucin), from It. capuccino, from capuccio "hood," augm. of cappa (see cap). Friar of the Order of St. Francis, under the rule of 1528, so called from the pointed hoods on their cloaks. As a type of monkey, 1785, from the hair on its head, thought to resemble a cowl.
caput: "head," in various senses, from L. caput (see head).
capybara: 1774, from some Tupi (Brazilian) native name.
car: 1301, "wheeled vehicle," from Norm.-Fr. carre, from L. carrum, carrus (pl. carra), orig. "two-wheeled Celtic war chariot," from Gaul. karros, from PIE *krsos, from base *kers- "to run." Extension to "automobile" is 1896. Car-sick first recorded 1908, on model of sea sick. U.S. carport is from 1939. Car bomb first 1972, in reference to Northern Ireland. Car pool is 1942 (n.), 1962 (v.).
carabineer: 1672, "mounted soldier armed with a carbine," from Fr. carabinier, from carabine "carbine" (see carbine). It. carabiniere "soldiers serving as a police force" is the same word.
carafe: 1786, from Fr. carafe, from It. caraffa, probably from Arabic ghurruf "drinking cup," or Pers. qarabah "a large flagon."