Chapter
/ˈtʃæp.tər/noun
A main division of a book or a meeting body of clergy or officials.
Did you know?The word traveled through Latin and Old French from the idea of a small “head” or “chief,” which is why so many medieval religious and legal texts used it for formal sections and assemblies.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*kaput-
“head”
Latin
Latin
caput
“head”
Late Latin
Latin
capitulum
“small head; heading; short section”
Old French
Old French
chapitre
“chapter; section of a book; assembly of clergy”
Middle English
English
chapitre
“a division of a book; ecclesiastical assembly”
Modern English
English
chapter
“a main division of a book or a formal meeting body”
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