"caput" meaning in English

See caput in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /kəˈpʊt/, /ˈkæp.ət/ Audio: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-caput.wav [Southern-England] Forms: caputs [plural], capita [plural]
Etymology: Learned borrowing from Latin caput (“the head”). Doublet of cape, capo, chef, and chief, and distantly of head and Howth. Etymology templates: {{root|en|ine-pro|*kap-}}, {{root|en|ine-pro|*kap-|id1=head}}, {{dercat|en|itc-pro}}, {{lbor|en|la|caput|t=the head}} Learned borrowing from Latin caput (“the head”), {{dbt|en|cape#Etymology 1|capo|chef|chief}} Doublet of cape, capo, chef, and chief, {{doublet|en|head|Howth|notext=1}} head and Howth Head templates: {{en-noun|s|capita}} caput (plural caputs or capita)
  1. (anatomy, archaic) The head. Tags: archaic
    Sense id: en-caput-en-noun-Y~HP1lFs Categories (other): Anatomy, English entries with incorrect language header Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 11 3 0 3 9 35 40 Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
  2. (anatomy, archaic) A knob-like protuberance or capitulum. Tags: archaic
    Sense id: en-caput-en-noun-alkRL83s Categories (other): Anatomy Topics: anatomy, medicine, sciences
  3. The top or superior part of a thing.
    Sense id: en-caput-en-noun--A9Z-Tmv
  4. The head, the leader or chief of a geoup of people.
    Sense id: en-caput-en-noun-paOVfWUd
  5. (obsolete) The capital city, the headquarters. Tags: obsolete
    Sense id: en-caput-en-noun-UO4ra3Vr Categories (other): English links with manual fragments Disambiguation of English links with manual fragments: 18 14 1 1 26 20 20
  6. (UK, historical) The Caput Senatus, council or ruling body of the University of Cambridge prior to its constitution of 1856 Tags: UK, historical
    Sense id: en-caput-en-noun-xw~lWZ96 Categories (other): British English, Brazilian Portuguese, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with entries, Pages with etymology trees, Pages with etymon Disambiguation of Brazilian Portuguese: 8 1 1 0 0 2 31 20 3 3 1 1 0 10 0 0 3 0 0 2 1 5 5 4 Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 11 3 0 3 9 35 40 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 21 3 1 0 0 2 20 20 3 3 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 5 5 2 Disambiguation of Pages with etymology trees: 3 4 2 1 1 4 30 13 3 3 1 1 1 6 2 8 3 1 1 1 2 4 4 4 Disambiguation of Pages with etymon: 4 4 1 1 1 4 38 13 3 3 1 1 1 6 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 4 4 4
  7. (medicine, colloquial) Ellipsis of caput succedaneum. Tags: abbreviation, alt-of, colloquial, ellipsis Alternative form of: caput succedaneum
    Sense id: en-caput-en-noun-lDbVMZmK Categories (other): Medicine, English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with entries Disambiguation of English entries with incorrect language header: 11 3 0 3 9 35 40 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 21 3 1 0 0 2 20 20 3 3 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 5 5 2 Topics: medicine, sciences
The following are not (yet) sense-disambiguated
Related terms: capite, caput mortuum, capote, per caput

Inflected forms

{
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "caput",
      "caput#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "cape",
      "cape#Etymology 1"
    ],
    [
      "capo",
      "capo#English"
    ],
    [
      "chef",
      "chef#English"
    ],
    [
      "chief",
      "chief#English"
    ],
    [
      "head",
      "head#English"
    ],
    [
      "Howth",
      "Howth#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kap-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kap-",
        "id1": "head"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "itc-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "dercat"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "caput",
        "t": "the head"
      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Latin caput (“the head”)",
      "name": "lbor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cape#Etymology 1",
        "3": "capo",
        "4": "chef",
        "5": "chief"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cape, capo, chef, and chief",
      "name": "dbt"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "head",
        "3": "Howth",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "head and Howth",
      "name": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Learned borrowing from Latin caput (“the head”). Doublet of cape, capo, chef, and chief, and distantly of head and Howth.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "caputs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "capita",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s",
        "2": "capita"
      },
      "expansion": "caput (plural caputs or capita)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "capite"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "caput mortuum"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "capote"
    },
    {
      "_dis1": "0 0 0 0 0 0 0",
      "word": "per caput"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Anatomy",
          "orig": "en:Anatomy",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 3 0 3 9 35 40",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The head."
      ],
      "id": "en-caput-en-noun-Y~HP1lFs",
      "links": [
        [
          "anatomy",
          "anatomy"
        ],
        [
          "head",
          "head"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(anatomy, archaic) The head."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "anatomy",
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Anatomy",
          "orig": "en:Anatomy",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A knob-like protuberance or capitulum."
      ],
      "id": "en-caput-en-noun-alkRL83s",
      "links": [
        [
          "anatomy",
          "anatomy"
        ],
        [
          "knob",
          "knob"
        ],
        [
          "protuberance",
          "protuberance"
        ],
        [
          "capitulum",
          "capitulum"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(anatomy, archaic) A knob-like protuberance or capitulum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "anatomy",
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The top or superior part of a thing."
      ],
      "id": "en-caput-en-noun--A9Z-Tmv",
      "links": [
        [
          "top",
          "top"
        ],
        [
          "superior",
          "superior"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The head, the leader or chief of a geoup of people."
      ],
      "id": "en-caput-en-noun-paOVfWUd"
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "18 14 1 1 26 20 20",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English links with manual fragments",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The capital city, the headquarters."
      ],
      "id": "en-caput-en-noun-UO4ra3Vr",
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete) The capital city, the headquarters."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "British English",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "8 1 1 0 0 2 31 20 3 3 1 1 0 10 0 0 3 0 0 2 1 5 5 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Brazilian Portuguese",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 3 0 3 9 35 40",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "21 3 1 0 0 2 20 20 3 3 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 5 5 2",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "3 4 2 1 1 4 30 13 3 3 1 1 1 6 2 8 3 1 1 1 2 4 4 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymology trees",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "4 4 1 1 1 4 38 13 3 3 1 1 1 6 2 1 2 1 1 1 2 4 4 4",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with etymon",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              503,
              509
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1823, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], “Oxford in the Vacation”, in Elia. Essays which have Appeared under that Signature in The London Magazine, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 22:",
          "text": "D. has been engaged, he tells me, through a course of laborious years, in an investigation into all curious matter connected with the two Universities; and has lately lit upon a MS. collection of charters, relative to C⁠⸺, by which he hopes to settle some disputed points—particularly that long controversy between them as to priority of foundation. The ardor with which he engages in these liberal pursuits, I am afraid, has not met with all the encouragement it deserved, either here, or at C⁠⸺. Your caputs, and heads of colleges, care less than any body else about these questions.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The Caput Senatus, council or ruling body of the University of Cambridge prior to its constitution of 1856"
      ],
      "id": "en-caput-en-noun-xw~lWZ96",
      "links": [
        [
          "council",
          "council"
        ],
        [
          "ruling",
          "rule"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, historical) The Caput Senatus, council or ruling body of the University of Cambridge prior to its constitution of 1856"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "historical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "caput succedaneum"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        {
          "kind": "other",
          "langcode": "en",
          "name": "Medicine",
          "orig": "en:Medicine",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "11 3 0 3 9 35 40",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "21 3 1 0 0 2 20 20 3 3 1 1 1 8 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 5 5 2",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Ellipsis of caput succedaneum."
      ],
      "id": "en-caput-en-noun-lDbVMZmK",
      "links": [
        [
          "medicine",
          "medicine"
        ],
        [
          "caput succedaneum",
          "caput succedaneum#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(medicine, colloquial) Ellipsis of caput succedaneum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "colloquial",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kəˈpʊt/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈkæp.ət/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-caput.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "kaput (for pronunciation with stress on second syllable)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "caput"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Brazilian Portuguese",
    "English countable nouns",
    "English doublets",
    "English entries with incorrect language header",
    "English learned borrowings from Latin",
    "English lemmas",
    "English links with manual fragments",
    "English nouns",
    "English nouns with irregular plurals",
    "English terms borrowed from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Latin",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Indo-European",
    "English terms derived from Proto-Italic",
    "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kap-",
    "English terms derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *kap- (head)",
    "English terms with homophones",
    "Pages with 4 entries",
    "Pages with entries",
    "Pages with etymology trees",
    "Pages with etymon"
  ],
  "etymology_links": [
    [
      "caput",
      "caput#Latin"
    ],
    [
      "cape",
      "cape#Etymology 1"
    ],
    [
      "capo",
      "capo#English"
    ],
    [
      "chef",
      "chef#English"
    ],
    [
      "chief",
      "chief#English"
    ],
    [
      "head",
      "head#English"
    ],
    [
      "Howth",
      "Howth#English"
    ]
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kap-"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*kap-",
        "id1": "head"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "root"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "itc-pro"
      },
      "expansion": "",
      "name": "dercat"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "la",
        "3": "caput",
        "t": "the head"
      },
      "expansion": "Learned borrowing from Latin caput (“the head”)",
      "name": "lbor"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "cape#Etymology 1",
        "3": "capo",
        "4": "chef",
        "5": "chief"
      },
      "expansion": "Doublet of cape, capo, chef, and chief",
      "name": "dbt"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "head",
        "3": "Howth",
        "notext": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "head and Howth",
      "name": "doublet"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Learned borrowing from Latin caput (“the head”). Doublet of cape, capo, chef, and chief, and distantly of head and Howth.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "caputs",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "capita",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "s",
        "2": "capita"
      },
      "expansion": "caput (plural caputs or capita)",
      "name": "en-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "English",
  "lang_code": "en",
  "pos": "noun",
  "related": [
    {
      "word": "capite"
    },
    {
      "word": "caput mortuum"
    },
    {
      "word": "capote"
    },
    {
      "word": "per caput"
    }
  ],
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "en:Anatomy"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The head."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "anatomy",
          "anatomy"
        ],
        [
          "head",
          "head"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(anatomy, archaic) The head."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "anatomy",
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with archaic senses",
        "en:Anatomy"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A knob-like protuberance or capitulum."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "anatomy",
          "anatomy"
        ],
        [
          "knob",
          "knob"
        ],
        [
          "protuberance",
          "protuberance"
        ],
        [
          "capitulum",
          "capitulum"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(anatomy, archaic) A knob-like protuberance or capitulum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "archaic"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "anatomy",
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The top or superior part of a thing."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "top",
          "top"
        ],
        [
          "superior",
          "superior"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "glosses": [
        "The head, the leader or chief of a geoup of people."
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "English terms with obsolete senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The capital city, the headquarters."
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(obsolete) The capital city, the headquarters."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "obsolete"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "British English",
        "English terms with historical senses",
        "English terms with quotations"
      ],
      "examples": [
        {
          "bold_text_offsets": [
            [
              503,
              509
            ]
          ],
          "ref": "1823, Elia [pseudonym; Charles Lamb], “Oxford in the Vacation”, in Elia. Essays which have Appeared under that Signature in The London Magazine, London: […] [Thomas Davison] for Taylor and Hessey, […], →OCLC, page 22:",
          "text": "D. has been engaged, he tells me, through a course of laborious years, in an investigation into all curious matter connected with the two Universities; and has lately lit upon a MS. collection of charters, relative to C⁠⸺, by which he hopes to settle some disputed points—particularly that long controversy between them as to priority of foundation. The ardor with which he engages in these liberal pursuits, I am afraid, has not met with all the encouragement it deserved, either here, or at C⁠⸺. Your caputs, and heads of colleges, care less than any body else about these questions.",
          "type": "quotation"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The Caput Senatus, council or ruling body of the University of Cambridge prior to its constitution of 1856"
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "council",
          "council"
        ],
        [
          "ruling",
          "rule"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(UK, historical) The Caput Senatus, council or ruling body of the University of Cambridge prior to its constitution of 1856"
      ],
      "tags": [
        "UK",
        "historical"
      ]
    },
    {
      "alt_of": [
        {
          "word": "caput succedaneum"
        }
      ],
      "categories": [
        "English colloquialisms",
        "English ellipses",
        "en:Medicine"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "Ellipsis of caput succedaneum."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "medicine",
          "medicine"
        ],
        [
          "caput succedaneum",
          "caput succedaneum#English"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(medicine, colloquial) Ellipsis of caput succedaneum."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "colloquial",
        "ellipsis"
      ],
      "topics": [
        "medicine",
        "sciences"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/kəˈpʊt/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/ˈkæp.ət/"
    },
    {
      "audio": "LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-caput.wav",
      "mp3_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav.mp3",
      "ogg_url": "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/0/0b/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav/LL-Q1860_%28eng%29-Vealhurl-caput.wav.ogg",
      "tags": [
        "Southern-England"
      ]
    },
    {
      "homophone": "kaput (for pronunciation with stress on second syllable)"
    }
  ],
  "word": "caput"
}

Download raw JSONL data for caput meaning in English (5.4kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2026-10-30 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2026-10-01 using wiktextract (19f9a30 and 6f96ddf). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.