Etymologically
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caper

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈka.pɛr][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaː.per][1]

Forms

caper m (genitive caprī, feminine capra); second declension[1]

Etymology

It is inherited from Proto-Italic *kapro- (“he-goat”).[2] Cognate with Umbrian kaprum (“he-goat”), Ancient Greek κάπρος (kápros, “wild boar”), Old Norse hafr (“he-goat”) and Irish caora (“sheep”).[2][3] Wiktionary sets up Proto-Indo-European *kápros (“buck, he-goat”), but de Vaan thinks a loanword more likely, since no single word for “goat” can be reconstructed for the parent language and *kap- is close to Proto-Celtic *gabros (“goat”).[1][2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan dates it from Caesar, who says the elk is like a goat in shape.[2][3] Köbler dates it from Catullus.[4] Köbler dates Catullus 81/79–52/50 BC.[4]

Semantic evolution

It was a he-goat, sacrificed to Bacchus, and Döderlein notes it was the general and scientific name, hircus being a full-grown he-goat.[3][5][6] Catullus used it of the rank smell of the armpits, and it was also the constellation Capricorn and a fish of the Achelous that grunts.[7][3]

Vulgar Latin *capriōne gave Old French chevron “rafter”, the source of English chevron in the late 14th century.[8] Its feminine capra “she-goat” survives in Italian, Spanish and French chèvre, and Italian capriola “leap like a goat” gave English cab through cabriolet.[1][8]

Timeline

  • 81/79–52/50 BC – Catullus uses it.[4]
  • c. 50 BC – Caesar compares the elk to a goat.[3][4]
  • 70–19 BC – Virgil speaks of the he-goat of the flock.[5][4]
  • late 14th century – English chevron is recorded.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A he-goat, billy goat.[3]
  2. The goatish smell of the armpits.[7]
  3. The constellation Capricorn.[3]
  4. An unidentified fish.[3]

Word family

  • capella
  • capellus
  • caperrō
  • capra
  • Capricornus
  • caprifīcus
  • caprigenus
  • caprīle
  • caprīlis
  • caprīnus
  • capripēs
  • sēmicaper

Usage notes

Döderlein distinguishes caper, the general term, hircus, a full-grown he-goat, and haedus, a kid. English caper “leap” is from Italian capriola, but English caper the plant is from Greek kápparis.[6][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
  2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c d e Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  5. ^ a b Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  6. ^ a b Döderlein, Ludwig (1874), Döderlein’s Hand-book of Latin Synonymes, tr. H. H. Arnold, Andover: W. F. Draper
  7. ^ a b Gaffiot, Félix (2016), Dictionnaire latin-français, new ed. by Gérard Gréco et al. (Gaffiot 2016), online ed.
  8. ^ a b c d Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com