LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
suffixthird-declension one-termination suffix

-ceps1

-ceps (genitive -cipitis)
Classical[ˈkɛps]Ecclesiastical[ˈt͡ʃɛps]

Meaning

  1. morphemeone terminationsuffix-headed
  2. morphemeone terminationsuffix-fold

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-?
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  3. Proto-Indo-European*káput
  4. Proto-Italic*kaput
  5. Latin-ceps

Old Latin -cipesder. Latin -ceps From Old Latin -cipes, from Proto-Italic *-kaputis, from the same root as caput, with *-kaputis > *-kapts. The suffix vowel was most likely lost by analogy to -ceps (“-catcher”).

suffix · masculinethird declension
-ceps2
-ceps m (genitive -cipis)
Classical[ˈkɛps]Ecclesiastical[ˈt͡ʃɛps]

Meaning

  1. masculinemorpheme-catcher
  2. masculinemorpheme-taker

Origins

  1. Proto-Indo-European*kap-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*kapyéti
  3. Proto-Italic*kapjō
  4. Archaic Latinkapiō
  5. Latin-ceps

Proto-Indo-European *-s Latin -s Latin -ceps Ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (the ancient stem of capiō) + *-s, corresponding to Latin cap(iō) + -s.

Quick answers

What does -ceps mean in Latin?
-ceps, a suffix, means “-headed; -fold”.
How do you pronounce -ceps?
In classical Latin, [ˈkɛps]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ˈt͡ʃɛps].
Where does -ceps come from?
Proto-Indo-European *kap-? → Proto-Indo-European *kap- → Proto-Indo-European *káput → Proto-Italic *kaput → Latin -ceps.