capillary Look up capillary at Dictionary.com
1656, from L. capillaris "of hair," from capillus "hair" (of the head). Capillarity is recorded from 1830.
capital Look up capital at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capital letter at Dictionary.com
late 14c.; see capital. So called because it is at the "head" of a sentence or word.
capitalise Look up capitalise at Dictionary.com
alt. British spelling of capitalize (q.v.). For suffix, see -ize.
capitalism Look up capitalism at Dictionary.com
1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.
capitalist (n.) Look up capitalist at Dictionary.com
1791, from Fr. capitaliste, a coinage of the Revolution and a term of reproach; see capital. Capitalistic is from 1873.
capitalization Look up capitalization at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capitalize at Dictionary.com
"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 Look up capitate at Dictionary.com
1661, from L. capitatus "headed," from caput "head" (see head).
capitation Look up capitation	 at Dictionary.com
1614, "counting of heads," from L. capitationem, from caput "head" (see head). Meaning "levying of a poll tax" is from 1641.
Capitol Look up Capitol at Dictionary.com
"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.) Look up capitulate at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capitulation at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capitulum at Dictionary.com
c.1750, from L., lit. "little head," dim. of caput "head" (see head).
capo (1) Look up capo at Dictionary.com
"leader of a Mafia 'family,' " 1952, from It., lit. "head."
capo (2) Look up capo at Dictionary.com
"pitch-altering device for a stringed instrument," 1946, short for capo tasto (1876), from It., lit. "head stop."
capon Look up capon at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capote at Dictionary.com
"long cloak with a hood," 1812, from Fr. capote, fem. of capot (17c.), dim. of cape (see cape (1)).
Cappadocia Look up Cappadocia at Dictionary.com
ancient name for the region roughly corresponding to modern Turkey, from Gk. Kappadokía, perhaps ult. from Pers. Hvaspadakhim "land of fine horses."
cappella Look up cappella at Dictionary.com
see a cappella.
cappuccino Look up cappuccino at Dictionary.com
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 Look up Capri at Dictionary.com
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 Look up Capri pants at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capriccio at Dictionary.com
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 Look up caprice at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capricious at Dictionary.com
1594, from Fr. capricieux (16c.), from It. capriccioso, from capriccio (see capriccio). Capriciously is recorded from 1746; capriciousness from 1617.
Capricorn Look up Capricorn at Dictionary.com
"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 Look up caprine at Dictionary.com
"goat-like," c.1600, from L. caprinus, from caper "goat."
capris Look up capris at Dictionary.com
"Capri pants," 1966, see Capri pants.
capsaicin Look up capsaicin at Dictionary.com
from capsicum, from which it is extracted + chemical suffixes.
capsicum Look up capsicum at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capsid at Dictionary.com
1964, from Fr. capside (1959), from L. capsa "box" (see case (2)).
capsize Look up capsize at Dictionary.com
1788, a nautical word of obscure origin, perhaps (as Skeat suggests) from Sp. capuzar "to sink by the head," from cabo "head."
capstan Look up capstan at Dictionary.com
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 Look up capstone at Dictionary.com
topmost stone in a construction, 1685, from cap + stone. Earliest use is figurative.
capsule Look up capsule at Dictionary.com
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 Look up captain at Dictionary.com
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 Look up caption at Dictionary.com
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 Look up captious at Dictionary.com
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 Look up captivate at Dictionary.com
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.) Look up captive at Dictionary.com
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 Look up captivity at Dictionary.com
early 14c., from L. captivitas, from captivus (see captive).
captor Look up captor at Dictionary.com
1688, from L. captor, agent noun from capere "to take" (see capable). Fem. form captress recorded from 1867.
capture (n.) Look up capture at Dictionary.com
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 Look up Capuchin at Dictionary.com
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 Look up caput at Dictionary.com
"head," in various senses, from L. caput (see head).
capybara Look up capybara at Dictionary.com
1774, from some Tupi (Brazilian) native name.
car Look up car at Dictionary.com
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 Look up carabineer at Dictionary.com
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 Look up carafe at Dictionary.com
1786, from Fr. carafe, from It. caraffa, probably from Arabic ghurruf "drinking cup," or Pers. qarabah "a large flagon."