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cappotto

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Etymology and origin of the Italian word cappotto

cappotto1 coat

Confidence
Established
Formation
Derivation
First attested
1564 Vopisco
Ultimate origin
Late Latin cappa
Etymology tree of cappotto1
inherited borrowed derived
Latin cappa
French chape
Italian cappa
Italian cappotto
Spanish capa
From the same root · cappotto1
Italian cappuccio ← cappa
Latin capella ← cappa
Latin cappellus ← cappa
French chaperon ← chape

Pronunciation

  • /kapˈpɔt.to/[1]

Forms

cappotto m (plural cappotti)[1] Dialect forms include Piedmontese capot, Lombard capòtt and Emilian capott.[2]

Etymology

The word for the coat is formed from Italian cappa + -otto, an augmentative of cappa (“cloak”).[3][4][5][1] Devoto compares the relation of salotto to sala.[6]

The base noun is Late Latin cappa (“cloak, long garment”), recorded from the 6th century in Gregory of Tours and continued in every Romance language except Romanian.[2] Alessio thought it probably of Eastern origin, reaching Latin through Greek.[2] Meyer-Lübke held that French capot (“hooded cloak”) was borrowed from the Italian word.[7]

Earliest recorded meaning

The LEI's first record is in Vopisco in 1564, for a light ceremonial cloak, and Zingarelli also dates the word 1564.[2][8] DELI's first record is in Anton Francesco Grazzini's Parentadi, before 1566, for a coat of heavy cloth.[3] Nocentini and Devoto–Oli give the 15th century.[9][10]

Semantic evolution

The heavy winter coat with sleeves and a wide collar is recorded from 1575 in Giovan Maria Cecchi, who lists it among clothes stolen from someone: “tocco, giubbone, / ferraiuolo, cappotto e sin le brache” (cap, doublet, cloak, coat and even breeches).[2][11] From 1612 to Verga in 1881 it was also the heavy coat of sailors, soldiers and once of slaves.[2] Tommaseo describes it as a lined cloak and lists a small Spanish-style ornamental mantle.[12]

In 1827 cappotto also named a sack put over a horse's head while it was shod, so that it could not bite.[2] Cappottone “big coat” is recorded from 1886 in De Amicis.[2] Cappotto di legno is a popular euphemism for a coffin.[13]

Timeline

  • 1564 – Vopisco uses cappotto for a light ceremonial cloak.[2]
  • Before 1566 – Grazzini uses it for a heavy coat.[3]
  • 1575 – Cecchi uses it for a winter coat with sleeves.[2]
  • 1612 – The coat of sailors and soldiers is recorded.[2]
  • 1827 – It names a hood for a horse being shod.[2]
  • 1886 – De Amicis uses cappottone.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. coat, overcoat: a heavy winter garment worn over other clothes: cappotto alla Bismarck is a coat of military cut.[4][10][5][8]
  2. (nautical, historical) A heavy hooded garment that sailors wore against rain and waves.[4]
  3. (building) An insulating cladding on the outside of a wall: isolamento a cappotto.[10]
  4. (colloquial) cappotto di legno: a coffin.[13]

Word family

  • cappottino
  • cappottone
  • incappottare

cappotto2 complete win

Confidence
Probable
Formation
Borrowing
First attested
1795 Baretti
Borrowed from
French capot
Ultimate origin
French cape,-ot
Etymology tree of cappotto2
inherited borrowed derived
French capot
Italian cappotto
From the same root · cappotto2
English kaput ← capot

Pronunciation

  • /kapˈpɔt.to/[1]

Forms

cappotto m (invariable)[4]

Etymology

The word for the complete win is borrowed from French capot, from the phrase faire capot.[3][9][4][10] DELI dates the French phrase 1642, and GRADIT finds the word in this sense in 1585.[3][4]

Nocentini derives the French word from cape (“cloak”): a player who takes no tricks is like someone covered by a cloak that keeps him from seeing.[9] Sabatini–Coletti thinks the phrase probably of Occitan origin, and Zingarelli calls it of uncertain origin.[5][8] The LEI notes that the oldest Romance record is Spanish capote in the Cancionero de Baena (first half of the 15th century), which led Corominas to take the word from Mozarabic.[2] In that view it spread along the trade routes of the Mediterranean, to Catalan capot (1507), Portuguese capote (17th century), French (1642) and Italian.[2]

The French word is also the source of German kaputt (“broken, ruined”).[9]

Earliest recorded meaning

The LEI's first record is in Baretti in 1795, where it is taken as a Gallicism.[2] DELI dates the word 1797, in D'Alberti's dictionary, with the sense “in a game, a complete win by one side when the other has not scored a single point”.[3]

Semantic evolution

The nautical far cappotto “to capsize” is a separate Gallicism, from French faire capot said of a ship, and is recorded in Italian from 1769.[2] Hunters use fare cappotto for coming home without game, recorded from 1941.[2] In Sicilian fari cappottu means to fail at something.[2] In sport the word extends to a crushing victory or a whole series of wins that leaves no win to the others.[4][14]

Timeline

  • 1769 – Far cappotto is used of a ship that capsizes.[2]
  • 1795 – Baretti records cappotto for a complete win.[2]
  • 1797 – D'Alberti's dictionary records it.[3][4]
  • 1941 – Fare cappotto is used of a hunt without game.[2]

Meanings

Noun

  1. (games, sport) A whitewash: a game won without the opponent scoring a single point, chiefly in fare cappotto or dare cappotto.[4][10][8]
  2. By extension, a crushing victory, or a series of wins that leaves none to the other side.[4][14]
  3. (hunting) fare cappotto: to come home without any game.[10][8][14]
  4. (nautical) fare cappotto: of a boat, to capsize.[10][8][5]

Word family

  • cappottare

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Pfister, Max; Schweickard, Wolfgang; Prifti, Elton (eds.) (1979–), Lessico Etimologico Italiano, Wiesbaden: Reichert; online at lei-digitale.it, p. 11, 375
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Cortelazzo, Manlio; Zolli, Paolo (1999), Dizionario etimologico della lingua italiana, 2nd ed. by Manlio Cortelazzo and Michele A. Cortelazzo, Bologna: Zanichelli
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j De Mauro, Tullio (ed.) (2003), Grande dizionario italiano dell'uso, CD-ROM version 2.0, Torino: UTET
  5. ^ a b c d Sabatini, Francesco; Coletti, Vittorio; Manfredini, Manuela (2026), Dizionario italiano Sabatini Coletti, digital ed., Milano: Sansoni / Rizzoli Larousse
  6. ^ Devoto, Giacomo (1968), Avviamento alla etimologia italiana: dizionario etimologico, 2nd ed., Firenze: Le Monnier
  7. ^ Meyer-Lübke, Wilhelm (1935), Romanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch, 3rd ed., Heidelberg: Winter
  8. ^ a b c d e f Zingarelli, Nicola (2009), Lo Zingarelli 2010: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Bologna: Zanichelli
  9. ^ a b c d Nocentini, Alberto; Parenti, Alessandro (2010), l'Etimologico: vocabolario della lingua italiana, Firenze: Le Monnier
  10. ^ a b c d e f g Devoto, Giacomo; Oli, Gian Carlo; Serianni, Luca; Trifone, Maurizio (2026), Nuovo Devoto–Oli: il vocabolario dell'italiano contemporaneo, digital ed., Milano: Le Monnier
  11. ^ Battaglia, Salvatore; Bàrberi Squarotti, Giorgio (1961–2002), Grande dizionario della lingua italiana, 21 vols., Torino: UTET; digital ed. Accademia della Crusca, p. 2, 723
  12. ^ Tommaseo, Niccolò; Bellini, Bernardo (1861–1879), Dizionario della lingua italiana, 4 vols., Torino: UTET
  13. ^ a b Vocabolario della lingua italiana Treccani (2011), Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana
  14. ^ a b c Duro, Aldo (ed.) (1986–1994), Vocabolario della lingua italiana, Roma: Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana; online ed. treccani.it/vocabolario (2008 copy)

Related etymologies

Cite this entry

“Cappotto.” Etymologically, 14 Nov. 2026, etymologically.com/it/cappotto. Accessed 15 Nov. 2026.

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