Cape Names a Cloak and a Headland
A cape is a sleeveless cloak, and also a point of land jutting into the sea. Both come from the word for head.
A cape is a sleeveless cloak worn over the shoulders, and also a headland projecting into the sea. Both descend from Latin *caput*, a head: the garment is the hooded covering for the head, and the headland is exactly what it sounds like, the head of the land. English kept the metaphor in both words without noticing. The same root gives *capital*, *captain*, *chapter* and *chief*.
- A sleeveless cloak. *A woollen cape.*
- A headland. *Cape Horn.*
- Caped — wearing a cape. *A caped figure.*
- Capital — from the same root. *A capital.*
- Latin — *caput*, a head. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | cape | A cape. |
| Plural | capes | Capes. |
| Adjective | caped | Caped. |
| Related | cap | A cap. |
| Latin | caput | A head. |
- She wore a long black cape.Clothing.
- The ship rounded the cape.Geography.
- Both come from caput.Etymology.
The caput family
- Capital — the head city, or the head of a column
- Captain — the head of a company
- Chapter — a heading in a book
- Chief — the head of a group, through French
- Decapitate — to remove the head
Late Latin *cappa*, a hooded cloak, from Latin *caput*, a head. The headland is French *cap*, from the same root.
Why is a headland called a cape?
Because it is the head of the land. Both senses descend from Latin caput, a head.
Are cape and cap related?
Yes. Both come from late Latin cappa, a hooded covering, ultimately from caput.