Caput, a
Latin word meaning literally "head" and by
metonymy "top", has been borrowed in a variety of
English words, including capital, captain, and decapitate. The surname
Caputo, common in the
Campania region of
Italy, comes from the appellation used by some
Roman military generals. A variant form has surfaced more recently in the title
Capo (or
Caporegime), the head of
La Cosa Nostra. The
French language converted 'caput' into
chief,
chef, and
chapitre, later borrowed in English as
chapter.