In medieval legal practice, moveable property or personal possessions, especially livestock or goods (archaic).
From Old Norman French catel, from Medieval Latin capitale (property, capital), from Latin capitalis (relating to the head or principal). Originally meant primary property or capital goods.
The word 'cattle' and 'capital' both descend from the same Latin root—in a pre-industrial economy, owning cattle was literally how you measured wealth and power, so livestock became synonymous with money itself.
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