Caput

/ˈkeɪpət/ noun

Definition

The head; also used in anatomy to refer to the knob-like head of a bone that fits into a joint.

Etymology

From Latin caput meaning 'head,' a fundamental word in Indo-European languages. It appears in countless English words like capital, captain, decapitate, and precipitation (literally 'headlong fall').

Kelly Says

The Latin word 'caput' is so foundational that it appears in medical terminology worldwide—the 'caput medusae' ('head of Medusa') is an actual medical condition where blood vessels engorge around the navel, named by doctors who clearly had classical education!

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