blackcap (English)

Where does "blackcap" come from?

The English noun blackcap is formed as a compound of the words 'black' and 'cap'[1]. The element 'black' descends from Middle English 'blak', which comes from Old English 'blæc' meaning 'black, dark' or 'ink'[2]. This traces back through Proto-West Germanic '*blak' to Proto-Germanic '*blakaz' meaning 'burnt'[2]. Meanwhile, the element 'cap' derives from Middle English 'cappe', coming from Old English 'cæppe' and Proto-West Germanic '*kappā', which were borrowed from Late Latin 'cappa' meaning 'covering, hood, mantle'[3][11][12]. Late Latin 'cappa' ultimately connects to the Latin word for head, 'caput'[3][6].

Open questions

The Proto-Germanic form '*blakaz' may alternatively derive from a different root related to softening, though its connection to burning is the leading proposal. [10]
Late Latin 'cappa' is of disputed origin, though the leading theory proposes it comes from 'capitulare' related to 'caput'. [6]

Full etymology tree

blackcap (English), 'A small Old World warbler, Eurasian blackcap (Sylvia atricapilla), which is mainly grey with a black crown.'
- compound black (English), 'Absorbing all light and reflecting none; dark and hueless.'
  - inherited blak, black, blake (Middle English)
    - inherited blæc (Old English), 'black'
      - inherited *blak (Proto-West Germanic), 'burnt, blackened'
        inherited *blakaz (Proto-Germanic), 'burnt'
- compound cap (English), 'A close-fitting hat, either brimless or peaked.'
  - inherited cappe (Middle English), 'cap; hat (covering for the head, especially a tight-fitting undercover):'
    - inherited cæppe (Old English), 'hat'
      - inherited *kappijā (Proto-West Germanic)
        derived *kappā (Proto-West Germanic), 'coat, cloak, cape'
        borrowed cappa (Latin), 'cape, cloak (usu. with a hood)'
        derived capitulare (Latin), 'head tax, poll tax'
        derived caput (Latin), 'The head. (of human and animals)'
        inherited *kaput (Proto-Italic), 'head'
        inherited *káput (Proto-Indo-European), 'head'
        derived *kap- (Proto-Indo-European), 'to seize, to grab'

Ancestors

black (English)
cap (English)

Descendants and derived words

blackcap raspberry (English)
Eurasian blackcap (English)

Sources

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris