LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

capitellum

capitellum n (genitive capitellī)

Meaning

  1. Late Latindiminutiveneuterdiminutive of caput (“head”): small head
  2. Late Latinneutercapital or chapiter of a column

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativecapitellumcapitella
genitivecapitellīcapitellōrum
dativecapitellōcapitellīs
accusativecapitellumcapitella
ablativecapitellōcapitellīs
vocativecapitellumcapitella

căpĭtellum, i, n. dim. caput, capitulum (perh. first post-class., for in Plin. 24, 19, 113, § 173, and 36, 23, 56, § 178, the MSS. and edd. vary between capitellum and capitulum; not in use in the time of Varro; v. Varr. L. L. 8, § 79 Müll.).
I. A small head: paracenterii, Veg. 3, 17, 2.—
II. In architecture = capitulum, the capital of a column, Coripp. 4, 59; cf. Isid. Orig. 15, 8, 15; 19, 10, 24; Vulg. 3 Reg. 7, 16.

Origins

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

Proto-Indo-European *-lós Proto-Indo-European *-elós Proto-Italic *-elos Latin -lus Latin -ellum Latin capitellum From capit- + -ellum.

Elsewhere
  • Catalancabdell
  • Englishcapitellum
  • Englishcapitellar
  • Englishcapitellate
  • GermanKapitell
  • Italiancapitello
  • Portuguesecapitelfrom Italian capitello
  • Frenchchapiteaufrom Old French chapitel
  • Spanishchapitelfrom Old French chapitel
  • Occitancapdetfrom Old Occitan cabdel
Old Leonese
  • Asturiancaudiellu
Padanian
  • Romagnolcavdël

In English words that came into English from capitellum

  • cadetcapitellum
  • capitalcapitellum
  • cadcapitellum
  • caudillocapitellum
  • capitellumcapitellum
  • cadelcapitellum
  • capitellatecapitellātus

Quick answers

What does capitellum mean in Latin?
capitellum, a noun, means “diminutive of caput (“head”): small head; capital or chapiter of a column”.
What is the genitive of capitellum?
The genitive singular is capitellī. capitellum is neuter, second declension.
Where does capitellum come from?
Proto-Indo-European *kap-? → Proto-Indo-European *kap- → Proto-Indo-European *káput → Proto-Italic *kaput → Latin capitellum.
Which English words come from capitellum?
English words that go back to Latin capitellum include cadet, capital, cad, caudillo, capitellum and cadel.