Etymograph

English

head

Head comes from Old English hēafod ‘head’, and ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- ‘head’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-‘head’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput‘head’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haubudą‘head’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*haubudreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hēafod‘head’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500heed‘head’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1591head

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*kap-‘head’reconstructed
  2. Proto-Indo-European, derivedc. 4500–2500 BCE*káput‘head’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haubudą‘head’reconstructed
  4. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*haubudreconstructed
  5. Old Englishc. 450–1150hēafod‘head’
  6. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500heed‘head’
  7. Englishearliest quotation 1591head

Earliest quotation: 1591, William Shakespeare, The First Part of Henry the Sixt: “My lord, my lord, the French have gathered head”.

The story

The modern word comes from Old English oblique stem hēafd-; the expected Modern English outcome for hēafod would be *heaved (similar to the Middle English word).

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *kap-

had, case, except, cash, captain, catch, accept, receive, capacity, behavior, capable, achieve, cable, chase, capture, heavy, recipe, reception, occupation, perception, haven, heavily, behave, capitalism, recipient, hawk, anticipation, anticipate, caption, captive, capsule, susceptible, deception, captivity, cater, chassis, cassette, conceive, deceive, capitalize, 143 more

through Proto-Indo-European *káput

capital, chapter, escape, cape, cattle, cabin, chapel, capitol, chef, capita, precipitation, chaplain, mischief, mischievous, cad, capillary, precipitate, capo, cabana, occipital, capa, precipitous, chattel, capitulate, capuchin, scamper, scamp, chabot, jefe, kaput, caput, chaperon, dishevelled, cabochon, 65 more

through Old English hēafod

hade, 2 more

Another origin of head

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*haubidąreconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*haubidreconstructed
  3. Proto-West Germanic, derivedc. 200–500 CE*haubida-‘main’reconstructed
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500heed‘main’
  5. Englishtodayhead

Today it means

noun The part of the body of an animal or human which contains the brain, mouth, and main sense organs.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *kap- / head

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