Etymologically
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capo

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Pronunciation

  • IPA (Classical): [ˈkaː.poː][1]
  • IPA (Ecclesiastical): [ˈkaː.po][1]

Forms

cāpō m (genitive cāpōnis); third declension[1]

Etymology

It is a variant of the older cāpus, perhaps originally *cappō, the form that Romance continues.[2][3] The origin is uncertain.[1] Pokorny's dictionary connects it with Old Church Slavonic скопьць (skopĭcĭ, “eunuch”) and скопити (skopiti, “to castrate”), from a root meaning “to cut”, but de Vaan thinks the root may be non-Indo-European, and also suggests a link with caper “he-goat”.[2] Wiktionary finds the Slavic connection formally difficult.[1]

Earliest recorded meaning

The older form cāpus appears in Varro and Columella.[2][4] Cāpō itself is in Martial.[3][2] Köbler dates Varro 116–27 BC and Martial 40–102/103 AD.[5]

Semantic evolution

It was a capon, a castrated cockerel, as in Martial, Palladius and Apicius' cookery.[3][6][4] The OLD suggests a young cockerel in one transferred use.[3]

In medieval Latin it was a capon, often fattened, and a common rent paid in kind, as in English records of land held for four capons.[7][8] It was also used of a eunuch.[9][7] Its descendants include Italian cappone, French chapon, Spanish capón and English capon, already late Old English capun.[1][10]

Timeline

  • 116–27 BC – Varro uses the form cāpus.[4][5]
  • 40–102/103 AD – Martial uses cāpō.[3][5]
  • 1202 – English records mention land held for capons.[8]

Meanings

Noun

  1. A capon, a castrated cock.[3][1]
  2. A cock, rooster.[1]
  3. (Medieval Latin) A capon paid as rent.[7][8]
  4. (Medieval Latin) A eunuch.[9]
  • pullus
  • gallus
  • cāpus
  • English capon

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h 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 Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
  4. ^ a b c Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
  5. ^ a b c Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
  6. ^ Georges, Karl Ernst (1913–1918), Ausführliches lateinisch-deutsches Handwörterbuch, 8th ed., ed. Heinrich Georges, Hannover; Leipzig: Hahn
  7. ^ a b c Mittellateinisches Wörterbuch bis zum ausgehenden 13. Jahrhundert (1967–), Munich: C. H. Beck; Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften
  8. ^ a b c Latham, R. E., D. R. Howlett, R. K. Ashdowne, et al. (1975–2013), Dictionary of Medieval Latin from British Sources, London: British Academy / Oxford University Press
  9. ^ a b Niermeyer, J. F. (1976), Mediae Latinitatis Lexicon Minus, Leiden: Brill
  10. ^ Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com