LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · masculinesecond declension

capitāneus1

capitāneus m (genitive capitāneī, feminine capitānea)
Classical[ka.pɪˈtaː.ne.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ka.piˈtaː.ne.us]

Meaning

  1. captain, commander
  2. governor, commandant
  3. civic official, prefect
  4. tribal chieftain, chief

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecapitāneuscapitāneī
genitivecapitāneīcapitāneōrum
dativecapitāneōcapitāneīs
accusativecapitāneumcapitāneōs
ablativecapitāneōcapitāneīs
vocativecapitāneecapitāneī

Origins

*From caput (“head”) + -āneus. Compare typologically Russian глава́ (glavá), глава́рь (glavárʹ), голова́ (golová). *Later absorbed and merged with similar catepanus, capetanus, and other Vulgar Latin renderings of catepan, the senior rank and title of Byzantine military captains of the Catepanate of Italy, from Byzantine Greek κατεπάνω (katepánō, literally “[the one] placed at the top, or the topmost”)

Italo-Dalmatian
  • Italiancapitano
  • Englishcapitanofrom Italian capitano
  • Romaniancăpitanfrom Italian capitano
  • Italiancapitagna
  • Aromaniancãpitanfrom Italian capitano
  • Siciliancapitanu
  • Greekκαπετάνιοςfrom Venetan capetanio
  • Turkishkaptanfrom Venetan capetanio
  • Lazკაპტანიfrom Venetan capetanio
  • Venetancapitagna
Gallo-Italic
  • Portuguesecapitamfrom Ligurian capitan
  • Portuguesecapitaõfrom Ligurian capitan
  • Portuguesecapitãofrom Ligurian capitan
  • Galiciancapitánfrom Ligurian capitan
  • Piedmontesecabiagna
  • Romagnolcavedagna
Elsewhere
  • Catalancapitàfrom Old Catalan capitani
  • Occitancapitanifrom Old Occitan capitani
  • Spanishcapitán
  • Old Frenchcapitaine
  • Polishkapitan
  • Arabicقبطان
  • Belarusianкапітан
  • Bulgarianкапитан
  • Crimean Tatarkapitan
  • Georgianკაპიტანი
Balkano-Romance
  • Romaniancăpătâi
  • Aromaniancãpitãnj
  • Aromaniancãpitãnjiu
  • Aromaniancãpitinj
  • Aromaniancãpitinjiu
  • Aromaniancãpitunj
  • Aromaniancãpitunjiu
Gallo-Romance
  • Old Frenchchastain
  • Old Frenchchevetaine

In English words that came into English from capitāneus

  • captaincapitāneus
  • chieftaincapitāneus
adjectivefirst/second-declension adjective
capitāneus2
capitāneus (feminine capitānea, neuter capitāneum)
Classical[ka.pɪˈtaː.ne.ʊs]Ecclesiastical[ka.piˈtaː.ne.us]

Meaning

  1. adjectivelarge, chief in size
  2. adjectivecapital (of letters)

Declension

singular
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecapitāneuscapitāneacapitāneum
genitivecapitāneīcapitāneaecapitāneī
dativecapitāneōcapitāneaecapitāneō
accusativecapitāneumcapitāneamcapitāneum
ablativecapitāneōcapitāneācapitāneō
vocativecapitāneecapitāneacapitāneum
plural
formmasculinefeminineneuter
nominativecapitāneīcapitāneaecapitānea
genitivecapitāneōrumcapitāneārumcapitāneōrum
dativecapitāneīscapitāneīscapitāneīs
accusativecapitāneōscapitāneāscapitānea
ablativecapitāneīscapitāneīscapitāneīs
vocativecapitāneīcapitāneaecapitānea

căpĭtānĕus, a, um, adj. caput,
I. chief in size, large: litterae, capitals, Auct. Rei Agr. p. 270 Goes.

Origins

*From caput (“head”) + -āneus. Compare typologically Russian глава́ (glavá), глава́рь (glavárʹ), голова́ (golová). *Later absorbed and merged with similar catepanus, capetanus, and other Vulgar Latin renderings of catepan, the senior rank and title of Byzantine military captains of the Catepanate of Italy, from Byzantine Greek κατεπάνω (katepánō, literally “[the one] placed at the top, or the topmost”)

Quick answers

What does capitāneus mean in Latin?
capitāneus, a noun, means “captain, commander; governor, commandant; civic official, prefect”.
What is the genitive of capitāneus?
The genitive singular is capitāneī. capitāneus is masculine, second declension.
How do you pronounce capitāneus?
In classical Latin, [ka.pɪˈtaː.ne.ʊs]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [ka.piˈtaː.ne.us].