*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of Cap

Clipping of captain.

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
name

A nickname for the captain of a team, ship, etc. · A nickname for a man generally.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of captain.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "captain"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of captain"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "captain",
      "captain#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "lang": "Russian",
      "lang_code": "ru",
      "word": "кэп",
      "raw_tags": [
        "borrowed"
      ],
      "roman": "kɛp"
    }
  ],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "name",
      "glosses": [
        "A nickname for the captain of a team, ship, etc.",
        "A nickname for a man generally."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "3dcb1c73a4ca085d6e63c578c23749837c6a5af402e45a2be5b6450087b7d6c3",
      "rawRecordSha256": "d931142d040af984430ea3a66a6569fd78a61d202b2f1a50b9bec2cd71cf5144",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6309158
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

Clipping of Capricorn.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Clipping of Capricorn.

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "clipping",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "Capricorn"
      },
      "expansion": "Clipping of Capricorn"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Capricorn",
      "Capricorn#English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Clipping of Capricorn."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "abbreviation",
        "alt-of",
        "clipping",
        "informal"
      ],
      "recordId": "44492a0006fb7b58c6b7c4a82859607aaa75081f7828c7cf81fcf6dc0600672b",
      "rawRecordSha256": "0fa281f3a50cd251cab409bd61598f5a6b27f608aad05584fe200f2a7a46c743",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 6309159
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for Cap →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-Q2Fw