English
acephalous
Acephalous comes from French acéphale ‘acephalous, headless’, from Ancient Greek κεφαλή ‘head’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ-l̥.
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰebʰ-l̥‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰepʰəlā́reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκεφαλήkephalḗ‘head’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀκέφαλοςaképhalos‘headless’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentacéphale‘acephalous, headless’
- Englishearliest quotation 1685acephalous
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Earlier history uncertain.
Lineage
- Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*gʰebʰ-l̥‘head’reconstructed
- Proto-Hellenicc. 2200–1600 BCE*kʰepʰəlā́reconstructed
- Ancient Greekc. 800–300 BCEκεφαλήkephalḗ‘head’
- Ancient Greek, derivedc. 800–300 BCEἀκέφαλοςaképhalos‘headless’
- Frenchc. 1600–presentacéphale‘acephalous, headless’
- Englishearliest quotation 1685acephalous
Earliest quotation: 1685, Louis Maimbourg, London: Jos. Hindmarsh: “[…] an Oecumenical Council is a whole, and a…”
Equivalent to a- + -cephalous
Proto-Indo-European *uds- ‘up, out’
Proto-Germanic *uz- ‘out-’
Proto-West Germanic *uʀ- ‘up, out, over’
English a-
Linked words
through Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ- ‘to give’
through Ancient Greek κεφαλή ‘head’
Today it means
adj Having no head.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *gʰebʰ-l̥ / acephalous