Capitis

Part of speech: noun, adjective

Definitions

1. Relating to the head or skull, as seen in anatomical terms that describe structures or conditions associated with the head
2. Pertaining to the cranial region, often used in medical contexts to designate features or diseases linked to the head
3. Describing anything that involves or affects the uppermost part of the body, particularly in anatomical or clinical references

Etymology: "Capitis" is the genitive (possessive) form of the Latin noun "caput", meaning "head". English does not use it on its own; it turns up in technical and medical terms such as "capitis" in phrases like "pediculosis capitis" (head lice), where it means "of the head". So the word is a grammatical form, not a standalone English word. Latin "caput" is an ancient word with a long pedigree, and its English descendants include "chief", "capital" and "cape" (in the sense of headland), all of which came through Old French or Latin. "Capitis" itself, however, was borrowed directly as a Latin form in scientific and medical writing, where Latin remained the standard language of description for centuries. The genitive ending "-is" is what tells you the sense "of the head" rather than "head" itself.