To head or lead; an archaic or rare verb meaning to be in charge or direct as a chief would.
From Medieval Latin capitare, from caput (head), meaning literally 'to head' or 'to serve as head.' Used in medieval administrative and legal documents.
This verb almost disappeared from English because regular 'lead' and 'command' worked better, but it survives in super-technical medieval documents and specialized legal Latin still used in academia today.
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