1530s, "an agreement on specified terms;" 1570s, "articles of agreement;" from Middle French capitulation, noun of action from capituler "agree on specified terms," from Medieval Latin capitulare "to draw up in heads or chapters," hence "arrange conditions," from capitulum "chapter," in classical Latin "heading," literally "a little head," diminutive of caput (genitive capitis) "head" (from PIE root *kaput- "head"). From 1640s in narrowed sense "the making of terms of surrender; a yielding to an enemy upon stipulated terms."
