noun · neuterthird declension
caput
caput n (genitive capitis)
Classical[ˈka.pʊt]Ecclesiastical[ˈkaː.put]
№ 124 of the 1,000 commonest wordsMille Verba core vocabulary
Meaning
- neuterthe head (of humans and animals)
caput hūmānum
human head - neuterpoeticthe head as the seat of the understanding
- neuterhead; top; summit; point; end; extremity (beginning or end)
[…] mē puer Ascanius capitisque iniūria cārī,
“[I consider] my son Ascanius, and my wronging of his dear life’s summit, [how] I deprive him of his Hesperian kingdom and destined fields.” (Ascanius will become a legendary king and ancestor of the gens Julia.)29 BCE – 19 BCE, Vergilius, Aeneis 4.354–355 - neuterorigin; source; spring; head (of rivers)
nunc ad aquae lēne caput sacrae.
now by some gentle river's sacred spring.23 BCE – 13 BCE, Horatius, Carmina 1.1 - neutermouth; embouchure (of rivers)
- neuterthe root
- neutervine branches
- neuterpoeticthe summit; the top (of trees)
- neutera man; person; or animal
- figurativelyneuterphysical life
[…] omnibus pollicitationibus ac praemiis deposcunt qui belli initium faciant et sui capitis periculo Galliam in libertatem vindicent.
and by every sort of promises and rewards, they earnestly solicit some to begin the war, and assert the freedom of Gaul at the hazard of their lives.c. 52 BCE, Julius Caesar, Commentarii de bello Gallico VII.1 - figurativelyneutercivil or political life
- figurativelyneuterthe head; leader; chief; guide; capital (the first or chief person or thing)
ut mea Rōma caput orbis terrārum sit
that my Rome shall be the capital of the world27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 1.16quippe concēdentibus Rōmam caput Latiō esse
seeing that we acknowledge Rome to be the capital of Latium27 BCE – 25 BCE, Titus Livius, Ab urbe condita 8.4 - neuterdivision; section; paragraph; chapter.
- New Latinneuterheadlike protuberance on an organ or body part (usually bone)
caput ulnae
head of the ulna
Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers
summa pars corporis, in quā oculī, aurēs, nāsus, ōs sunt.caput -itis n — in Mille Verba, Corpus Hūmānum
pars corporis suprēmacaput -itis (n) — in Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, ch. 4
head held high
capite altō — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 20
head
caput -itis — in Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 8, 22 and Viri Romae Facillimi, ch. 11, 21, 26
Declension
| form | singular | plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | caput | capita capora |
| genitive | capitis | capitum |
| dative | capitī | capitibus |
| accusative | caput | capita capora |
| ablative | capite | capitibus |
| vocative | caput | capita |
Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book
- quod caput est
- the main point.
- capite obvoluto
- with head covered.
- caput demittere
- to bow one's head.
- caput praecīdere
- to cut off a man's head.
- caput parieti impingere
- to strike one's head against the wall.
- capitis absolvere aliquem
- to repeal a death-sentence passed on a person.
- supplicio (capitis) affici
- to suffer capital punishment.
- capite aperto (opp. operto)
- bare-headed.
10 more phrases
- caput cenae (Fin. 2. 8. 25)
- the main dish.
- caput aperire (opp. operire)
- to uncover one's head.
- capita conferre (Liv. 2. 45)
- to put our heads together.
- capitis or capite damnare aliquem
- to condemn some one to death.
- caput alicuius agitur (vid. sect. V. 8)
- a person's life is in jeopardy.
- Solo capite sanxit, si quis... (Att. 10. 1)
- Solon made it a capital offence to...
- fons et caput (vid. sect. III., note caput...)
- source, origin.
- in periculum capitis, in discrimen vitae se inferre
- to recklessly hazard one's life.
- de capite deducere (vid. sect. XII. 1, note Notice too...) aliquid
- to subtract something from the capital.
- salus, caput, vita alicuius agitur, periclitatur, in discrimine est or versatur
- a man's life is at stake, is in very great danger.
căpŭt (kăp-căpud), ĭtis (
I. abl. sing. regularly capite:
capiti, Cat. 68, 124; cf. Tib. 1, 1, 72 Huschk., where the MSS., as well as Caes. German. Arat. 213, vary between the two forms), n. kindr. with Sanscr. kap-āla; Gr. κεφ-αλή; Goth. haubith; Germ. Haupt. I. The head, of men and animals:
oscitat in campis caput a cervice revolsum, Enn. Ann. 462 Vahl.: i lictor, conliga manus, caput obnubito, form. ap. Cic. Rab. Perd. 4, 13; cf. Liv. 1, 26, 6: tun' capite cano amas, homo nequissume? Plaut. Merc. 2, 2, 34; so, cano capite, id. As. 5, 2, 84; id. Cas. 3, 1, 4; Tib. 1, 1, 72; Pers. 1, 83 al.; cf. Tib. 1, 10, 43, and: capitis nives, Hor. C. 4, 13, 12, and Quint. 8, 6, 17 Spald.: raso capite calvus, Plaut. Am. 1, 1, 306: irraso, id. Rud. 5, 2, 16: intonsum, Quint. 12, 10, 47: amputare alicui, Suet. Galb. 20; Vulg. 1 Par. 10, 9: capite operto, Cic. Sen. 10, 34, 34: obvoluto, id. Phil. 2, 31, 77 Klotz: caput aperire, id. ib.: abscindere cervicibus, id. ib. 11, 2, 5: demittere, Caes. B. G. 1, 32; Cat. 87, 8; Verg. A. 9, 437: attollere. Ov. M. 5, 503: extollere, to become bold, Cic. Planc. 13, 33: efferre, to raise one's head, to be eminent, Verg. E. 1, 25 al.—Of animals, Tib. 2, 1, 8; Hor. S. 1, 2, 89; 2, 3, 200; id. Ep. 1, 1, 76 al.—b. Prov.: supra caput esse, to be over one's head, i. e. to be at one's very doors, to threaten in consequence of nearness ( = imminere, impendere), Sall. C. 52, 24; Liv. 3, 17, 2; Cic. Q. Fr. 1, 2, 2, § 6; Tac. H. 4, 69; cf. Kritz ad Sall. l. l.: capita conferre (like our phrase to put heads together, i. e to confer together in secret), Liv. 2, 45, 7:
ire praecipitem in lutum, per caputque pedesque, over head and ears, Cat. 17, 9: nec caput nec pedes, neither beginning nor end, good for nothing, Cic. Fam. 7, 31, 2; cf. Cato ap. Liv. Epit. lib. 50; Plaut. As. 3, 3, 139 sq.—c. Capita aut navia (al. navim), heads or tails, a play of the Roman youth in which a piece of money is thrown up, to see whether the figure-side (the head of Janus) or the reverse - side (a ship) will fall uppermost, Macr. S. 1, 7; Aur. Vict. Orig. 3; cf. Ov. F. 1, 239; Paul. Nol. Poëm. 38, 73.—
d. Poet., the head, as the seat of the understanding:
aliena negotia Per caput saliunt, run through the head, Hor. S. 2, 6, 34; so id. ib. 2, 3, 132; id. A. P. 300.—e. Ad Capita bubula, a place in Rome in the tenth region, where Augustus was born, Suet. Aug. 5.—
2. Transf., of inanimate things.
a. In gen., the head, top, summit, point, end, extremity (beginning or end):
ulpici, Cato, R. R. 71: allii, Col. 6, 34, 1: porri, id. 11, 3, 17: papaveris, Liv. 1, 54, 6; Verg. A. 9, 437: bulborum, Plin. 19, 5, 30, § 94: caulis, id. 19, 8, 41, § 140 al.: jecoris (or jecinoris, jocinoris), Cic. Div. 2, 13, 32; Liv. 8, 9, 1; cf. id. 27, 26, 14; 41, 14, 7; cf. Paul. ex Fest. p. 244 Müll.: extorum, Ov. M. 15, 795; Luc. 1, 627; Plin. 11, 37, 73, § 189: pontis, tēte de pont, Planc. ap. Cic. Fam. 10, 18, 4; cf. Front. Arat. 2, 13, 5: tignorum, Caes. B. C. 2, 9: columnae, Plin. 34, 3, 7, § 13: molis, the highest point of the mole, Curt. 4, 2, 23: xysti, Plin. Ep. 2, 17, 20: porticus, id. ib. 5, 6, 19 al.—b. Esp., of rivers,
(a). The origin, source, spring (head):
caput aquae illud est, unde aqua nascitur, Dig. 43, 20, 1, § 8; so Lucr. 5, 270; 6, 636; 6, 729; Tib. 1, 7, 24; Hor. C. 1, 1, 22; id. S. 1, 10, 37; Verg. G. 4, 319; 4, 368; Ov. M. 2, 255; Hirt. B. G. 8, 41; Liv. 1, 51, 9; 2, 38, 1; 37, 18, 6: fontium, Vitr. 8, 1; Mel. 3, 2, 8; Plin. Ep. 8, 8, 5; 10, 91, 1 al.—c. Also of plants, sometimes the root, Cato, R. R. 36; 43; 51:
vitis, id. ib. 33, 1; 95, 2; Plin. 17, 22, 35, § 195; Verg. G. 2, 355.—d. Also, in reference to the vine, vine branches, Col. 3, 10, 1; Cic. Sen. 15, 53.—Poet., also the summit, top of trees, Enn. ap. Gell. 13, 20, and ap. Non. 195, 24; Ov. M. 1, 567; Poët. ap. Quint. 9, 4, 90; Claud. Rapt. Pros. 3, 370. —
e. Of mountains, rocks, Verg. A. 4, 249; 6, 360.—
f. Of a boil that swells out, Cels. 8, 9;
hence, facere, to come to a head, Plin. 22, 25, 76, § 159; 26, 12, 77, § 125; cf.: capita deorum appellabantur fasciculi facti ex verbenis, Paul. ex Fest. p. 64 Müll.—II. Per meton. (pars pro toto), a man, person, or animal (very freq. in prose and poetry; cf. κάρα, κεφαλή, , in the same signif.;
v. Liddell and Scott and Robinson): pro capite tuo quantum dedit, Plaut. Most. 1, 3, 54; id. Pers. 1, 1, 37: hoc conruptum'st caput, id. Ep. 1, 1, 85: siquidem hoc vivet caput, i. e. ego, id. Ps. 2, 4, 33; so id. Stich. 5, 5, 10; cf. id. Capt. 5, 1, 25: ridiculum caput! Ter. And. 2, 2, 34: festivum, id. Ad. 2, 3, 8: lepidum, id. ib. 5, 9, 9: carum, Verg. A. 4, 354; Hor. C. 1, 24, 2: liberum, Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 32, § 79: vilia, Liv. 25, 6, 9: viliora, id. 9, 26, 22: vilissima, id. 24, 5, 13: ignota, id. 3, 7, 7; cf. id. 2, 5, 6: liberorum servorumque, id. 29, 29, 3 al.—In imprecations: istic capiti dicito, Plaut. Rud. 3, 6, 47; cf.: vae capiti tuo, id. Most. 4, 3, 10; so id. Poen. 3, 3, 32; Ter. Phorm. 3, 2, 6; Cael. ap. Cic. Fam. 8, 1, 4; Tib. 1, 2, 12; Verg. A. 8, 484; 11, 399 al.—With numerals: capitum Helvetiorum milia CCLXIII., souls, Caes. B. G. 1, 29; 4, 15: quot capitum vivunt, totidem studiorum Milia, Hor. S. 2, 1, 27; id. Ep. 2, 2, 189; cf. id. C. 1, 28, 20 al.; so, in capita, in distribution, to or for each person (cf. in Heb. also , for each head, poll, = for each individual, v. Robinson in h. v.), Liv. 2, 33, 11; 32, 17, 2; 34, 50, 6 al. (cf.: in singulos, id. 42, 4, 5).—Of. the poll-tax: exactio capitum, Cic. Fam. 3, 8, 5; so, capite censi, v. censeo.—Of animals, Verg. A. 3, 391; Col. 6, 5, 4 fin.; 8, 5, 4; 8, 5, 7; 8, 11, 13; Veg. Vet. 1, 18.—III. Trop.
1. Life, and specif.,
a. Physical life:
carum, Plaut. Capt. 2, 1, 33 sq.; 5, 1, 26: si capitis res siet, if it is a matter of life and death, id. Trin. 4, 2, 120: capitis periculum adire, to risk one's life, Ter. And. 4, 1, 53; id. Hec. 3, 1, 54; cf. id. Phorm. 3, 2, 6 Runnk.: capitis poena, capital punishment, Caes. B. G. 7, 71: pactum pro capite pretium, Cic. Off. 3, 29, 107: cum altero certamen honoris et dignitatis est, cum altero capitis et famae, id. ib. 1, 12, 38: cum dimicatione capitis, id. Prov. Cons. 9, 23; cf.: suo capite decernere, id. Att. 10, 9, 2; so Liv. 2, 12, 10; Cic. Fin. 5, 22, 64; Liv. 9, 5, 5: caput offerre pro patriā, Cic. Sull. 30, 84: patrium tibi crede caput, i. e. patris vitam et salutem, Ov. M. 8, 94; so, capitis accusare, to accuse of a capital crime, Nep. Paus. 2 fin.: absolvere, id. Milt. 7, 6: damnare, id. Alcib. 4, 5; id. Eum. 5, 1: tergo ac capite puniri, Liv. 3, 55, 14: caput Jovi sacrum, id. 3, 55, 7: sacratum, id. 10, 38, 3 al.; cf. Ov. M. 9, 296.— b. Civil or political life, acc. to the Roman idea, including the rights of liberty, citizenship, and family (libertatis, civitatis, familiae): its loss or deprivation was called deminutio or minutio capitis, acc. to the foll. jurid. distinction: capitis deminutionis tria genera sunt: maxima, media, minima; tria enim sunt, quae habemus: libertatem, civitatem, familiam. Igitur cum omnia haec amittimus (as by servitude or condemnation to death), maximam esse capitis deminutionem; cum vero amittimus civitatem (as in the interdictio aquae et ignis) libertatem retinemus, mediam esse capitis deminutionem;
cum et libertas et civitas retinetur, familia tantum mutatur (as by adoption, or, in the case of women, by marriage) minimam esse capitis deminutionem constat, Dig. 4, 5, 11; cf. Just. Inst. 1, 16, 4; Cic. de Or. 1, 40, 181; 1, 54, 231; id. Tusc. 1, 29, 71; Liv. 3, 55, 14; 22, 60, 15: capitis minor, Hor. C. 3, 5, 42: servus manumissus capite non minuitur, quia nulnum caput habuit, Dig. 4, 5, 3, § 1.—Of the deminutio media, Cic. Brut. 36, 136; Cic. Verr. 2, 2, 40, §§ 98 and 99; id. Quint. 2, 8 al.—Of the deminutio minima, Cic. Top. 4, 18; cf. Gai Inst. 1, 162.—2. The first or chief person or thing, the head, leader, chief, guide (very freq.).
(a). With gen.:
scelerum, an arrant knave, Plaut. Curc. 2, 1, 19; id. Bacch. 4, 7, 31; id. Mil. 2, 6, 14; id. Ps. 1, 5, 31; 4, 5, 3; id. Rud. 4, 4, 54: perjuri, id. ib. 4, 4, 55: concitandorum Graecorum, Cic. Fl. 18, 42: consilil, Liv. 8, 31, 7: conjurationis, id. 9, 26, 7: caput rei Romanae Camillus, id. 6, 3, 1; cf.: caput rerum Masinissam fuisse, id. 28, 35, 12; so id. 26, 40, 13: reipublicae, Tac. A. 1, 13: nominis Latini, heads, chiefs, Liv. 1, 52, 4: belli, id. 45, 7, 3: Suevorum, chieftribe, Tac. G. 39 fin. al.—The predicate in gen. masc.: capita conjurationis ejus virgis caesi ac securi percussi, Liv. 10, 1, 3.—(b). With esse and dat.:
ego caput fui argento reperiundo, Plaut. As. 3, 3, 138; cf.: illic est huic rei caput, author, contriver, Ter. And. 2, 6, 27; so id. Ad. 4, 2, 29 al.— (g). Absol.:
urgerent philosophorum greges, jam ab illo fonte et capite Socrate, Cic. de Or. 1, 10, 42: corpori valido caput deerat, guide, leader, Liv. 5, 46, 5: esse aliquod caput (i. e. regem) placebat, id. 1, 17, 4; cf. id. 1, 23, 4; Hor. S. 2, 5, 74 al.—Of things, head, chief, capital, etc.; thus of cities: Thebas caput fuisse totius Graeciae, head, first city, Nep. Epam. 10 fin.; so with gen., Liv. 9, 37, 12; 10, 37, 4 Weissenb. ad loc.; 23, 11, 11; 37, 18, 3 (with arx); cf.: pro capite atque arce Italiae, urbe Romanā, Liv. 22, 32, 5; and with dat.: Romam caput Latio esse, id. 8, 4, 5; and: brevi caput Italiae omni Capuam fore, id. 23, 10, 2 Drak. N. cr.—Of other localities: castellum quod caput ejus regionis erat, the head, principal place, Liv. 21, 33, 11.—Of other things: jus nigrum, quod cenae caput erat, the principal dish, Cic. Tusc. 5, 34, 98; cf. id. Fin. 2, 8, 25: patrimonii publici, id. Agr. 1, 7, 21; cf. id. ib. 2, 29, 80; Liv. 6, 14, 10: caput esse artis, decere, the main or principal point, Cic. de Or. 1, 29, 132: caput esse ad beate vivendum securitatem, id. Lael. 13, 45: ad consilium de re publicā dandum caput est nosse rem publicam; ad dicendum vero probabiliter, nosse mores civitatis, id. de Or. 2, 82, 337; 1, 19, 87: litterarum, summary, purport, substance, id. Phil. 2, 31, 77: caput Epicuri, the fundamental principle, dogma, id. Ac. 2, 32, 101; cf. Quint. 3, 11, 27: rerum, the chief or central point, head, Cic. Brut. 44, 164.—So in writings, a division, section, paragraph, chapter, etc.: a primo capite legis usque ad extremum, Cic. Agr. 2, 6, 15; cf. id. ib. 2, 10, 26; Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 46, § 118 Ascon.; id. Fam. 3, 8, 4; Gell. 2, 15, 4 al.; Cic. de Or. 2, 55, 223; id. Fam. 7, 22 med.; Quint. 10, 7, 32: id quod caput est, Cic. Att. 1, 17, 4; so id. Fam. 3, 7, 4.—Of money, the principal sum, the capital, stock (syn. sors; opp. usurae), Cic. Verr. 2, 1, 4, § 11; 2, 3, 35, § 80 sq.; id. Att. 15, 26, 4; Liv. 6, 15, 10; 6, 35, 4; Hor. S. 1, 2, 14 al.Charlton Lewis's shorter dictionary for students: the same scholarship in plain, modern definitions.
caput itis, n
CAP-, the head: Capillus circum caput Reiectus, T.: caput obnubito, L.: capitis nives, H.: capite operto: aperire: velare, L.: abscindere cervicibus: capite demisso: attollere, O.: extollere, to become bold: breve (equi), H.: coronatum (bovis), Tb.: per caput pedesque ire, heels over head, Ct.: dux cum exercitu supra caput est, i. e. is ready to fall upon us, S.: capita conferre, to lay heads together, i. e. to confer in secret, L.: caput aut collum petere, strike at the vital parts: haec alias inter caput extulit urbes, towers, i. e. excels, V.: aliena negotia Per caput saliunt, run through the head, i. e. the mind, H.: capitis labor, mental exertion, H. — Meton., the head, top, summit, point, end, extremity: iocur sine capite (of a sacrifice), L.: in extis, O.: tignorum, Cs.: cornu duxit, donec curvata coirent capita, the ends, V. — The origin, source, spring, head (of a river), L.: caput unde erumpit Enipeus, V.: celsis caput urbibus exit, my source springs among great cities, V.—The mouth, embouchure (rare): multis capitibus in Oceanum influit, Cs.—Of plants: diducere terram ad capita, the roots, V.: papavera demisere caput, the heads, V.: capitum iugatio, branches (of the vine). — Of mountains, the summit: capita aspera montis, V. — Of persons, a head, person: ridiculum caput! T.: carum, V.: duo haec capita taeterrima: ignota, L.: di capiti ipsius reservent, for himself, V.: capiti cane talia Dardanio rebusque tuis, i. e. for Aeneas and yourself, V.: Perfidum, H.: de sacrando cum bonis capite alcuius, L.: ut caput Iovi sacraretur, L.—With numerals: capitum Helvetiorum milia CCLXIII, souls, Cs.: nullum caput Proserpina fugit, H.: in capita, to each person, L.; cf. sus Triginta capitum fetūs enixa, V.—Fig., life, physical life: Capitis periculum adire, to risk life, T.: caput obiectare periclis, V.: capitis poena, capital punishment, Cs.: certamen capitis et famae: ut capite dimices tuo, L.: caput offerre pro patriā: patrium tibi crede caput (i. e. patris vitam), O.: accusatus capitis absolvitur, of a capital crime, N.: Sthenium capite damnare.—Civil life, personality, civil rights, liberty and citizenship: capitis causae, involving citizenship: iudicium capitis: capitis deminutio, loss of civil rights, Cs.—Poet.: capitis minor, H.—Of persons, a leader, chief, guide: concitandorum Graecorum: capita nominis Latini, heads, chiefs, L.: ut se Suevorum caput credant, chief tribe, Ta.: capita coniurationis securi percussi, L.: illic est huic rei caput, author, contriver, T.: ab illo fonte et capite Socrate: corpori valido caput deerat, leader, L.: ipsum Expugnare caput, the great man himself, H. —A head, chief, capital: Thebae totius Graeciae, first city, N.: Roma, orbis terrarum, L.: castellum eius regionis, principal place, L.: Romam caput Latio esse, L.: ius nigrum, cenae caput, principal dish: fundus, vestrae pecuniae, chief source of income: caput esse artis, decere, the note, characteristic: ad consilium de re p. dandum caput est nosse rem p., first qualification: caput litterarum cum alquo, reason for corresponding: Epicuri, chief dogma: caput belli et summa, V.—In writings, a division, paragraph, chapter: legis: caput Annianum de hereditatibus, passage in the will of A.— Of money, the principal sum, capital, stock: quibus ille de capite dempsisset, reduced their debts: de capite deducite alqd, L.: Quinas hic capiti mercedes exsecet, extort sixty per centum, H.
Origins
From Proto-Italic *kaput, from Proto-Indo-European *káput. Cognates include German Haupt and English head.
Direct reflexes
- Sardiniancabudu
- Sardiniancabude
- Sardiniancabide
Borrowings
- Englishcaput
- Portuguesecaput
Elsewhere
- Italiancapocchia
- Italiancapoccia
- Vulgar Latincapus