"captain" in seven languages
Meaningcaptain
Spanish
capitán
/kapiˈtan/
masc.learned
French
capitaine
/kapitɛn/
masc.learned
Italian
capitano
/kapiˈtano/
masc.learned
Portuguese
capitão
/kapiˈtɐ̃w/
masc.learned
Romanian
căpitan
/kəpiˈtan/
masc.borrowed · Italian capitano
Catalan
capità
/kəpiˈta/
masc.learned
English
captain
/ˈkæptən/
from Latin/French · Old French capitain
English → ItaliancaptaincapitanoCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
CAPITĀNEUM (Late Latin)‘chief (from CAPUT 'head')’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
The 'head man' of a ship or a team. The unworn -pit- in all three shows a word of medieval Latin administration, not one handed down in speech.
English relatives: capital, decapitate, chief
Learn it
In a sentence
- esEl capitán habla a los pasajeros.
- frLe capitaine s'adresse aux passagers.
- itIl capitano parla ai passeggeri.
- ptO capitão fala com os passageiros.
- roCăpitanul vorbește cu pasagerii.
- caEl capità parla amb els passatgers.
- enThe captain speaks to the passengers.
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