# Medieval Latin: Cuffia



## aruniyan

*M.L. cuffia "head covering," of uncertain origin *

Can someone give an explanation for this word? How related is that with L. Cappa?
 this looks similar to Tamil Kaappu(Protection, Guard) also used to refer the hand bangles/bracelets.


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## killerbee256

Looks like it's derived from _caput_, which means "head," or maybe from German, _Kopf_ also "head, which is possibly from Latin _cappa_.


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## CapnPrep

killerbee256 said:


> Looks like it's derived from _caput_, which means "head," or maybe from German, _Kopf_ also "head, which is possibly from Latin _cappa_.


Do you have etymological evidence or reliable sources to back up any of these statements?


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## Cenzontle

Have you tried Arabic?  See Wikipedia's Keffiyeh.


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## fdb

Online Etymological Dictionary has this:

coif (n.) late 13c., "close-fitting cap," from O.Fr. coife "skull-cap, cap worn under a helmet, headgear" (12c., Mod.Fr. coiffe), from L.L. coifa "a cap, hood" (cf. It. cuffia, Sp. cofia, escofia), of W.Gmc. origin (cf. O.H.G. kupphia, M.H.G. kupfe "cap").


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## aruniyan

fdb said:


> Online Etymological Dictionary has this:
> 
> coif (n.) late 13c., "close-fitting cap," from O.Fr. coife "skull-cap, cap worn under a helmet, headgear" (12c., Mod.Fr. coiffe), from L.L. coifa "a cap, hood" (cf. It. cuffia, Sp. cofia, escofia), of W.Gmc. origin (cf. O.H.G. kupphia, M.H.G. kupfe "cap").





thanks,  i asked this question in the* es-cape* related thread, i had this confusion between, L. Cappa and L.Cuppa and its solved. 

another question, is it L. caput (head) from L. Cappa or the other way?



> Have you tried Arabic?  See Wikipedia's Keffiyeh.



Thats interesting, is that a native word?.


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## origumi

Cenzontle said:


> Have you tried Arabic?  See Wikipedia's Keffiyeh.





aruniyan said:


> Thats interesting, is that a native word?.


I saw some sources saying that Arabic borrowed it from late Latin. However, the Hebrew word kippah, _head cover_ or _skullcap_, attested no later than the Gemara (3rd-5th centuries), may show a Semitic origin.


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## Youngfun

Cuffia is still used in Italian.


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## fdb

I think both the (Middle) Hebrew and (post-classical) Arabic words are loanwords, _kipp__ā_ from (late) Latin _cappa_, _k__ūfiyyah_ from Italian _cuffia._

Incidentally, the meaning of the two words is different: _kipp__ā_ is a skull-cap, but _k__ūfiyyah_ is the cloth worn over a skull-cap.


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## Cenzontle

Meyer-Lübke (_Romanisches Etymologisches Wörterbuch_, 1935)  traces Italian "cuffia" to a Latin "cofea" (with a dot under the "o")  (M-L's #2024).  My brave attempt at reading M-L's German says "the  origin of the word, first occurring in Venantius Fortunatus,* is  unknown. Derivation from Lombard "kupphia" presupposes that the  Romanian, Spanish, and Portuguese words are borrowed from Italian or  Provençal, which for Romanian is difficult because of the meaning  [namely 'helmet']."

M-L gives Romanian "coif" ('helmet'), Italian "(s)cuffia", Spanish "(es)cofia", Portuguese "coifa".

*Wikipedia's "Venantius Fortunatus" gives his dates as "(c.530–c.600/609)".


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## apmoy70

In Greek it's also «σκουφία» [sku'fia] (fem.), «σκούφος» ['skufos] (masc.) and its diminutive «σκουφί» [sku'fi] (neut.) all Byzantine Greek words from the Late Latin (s)cuffia, from OHG *kupphja --> _head cap_ and it's this


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## Youngfun

The thread title and the opening post are a little confusing... maybe instead of Medieval Latin, that source meant "Medieval Italian Vulgar Latin"?



Cenzontle said:


> M-L gives Romanian "coif" ('helmet'), Italian "(s)cuffia", Spanish "(es)cofia", Portuguese "coifa".


But scuffia has a completely different meaning!


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## CapnPrep

Youngfun said:


> But scuffia has a completely different meaning!


But it has the same etymology ("variante di _cuffia_, con _s-_ in funzione espressiva") and is given as "Forma ant. e pop. (in varie regioni) per _cuffia_" (Treccani).


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## ancalimon

Is it possible that it's related with Turkish kapa meaning close, cover ?

Proto-Turkic: *Kap- : 1 cover (n.) 2 gate, door 3 to close
Proto-Turkic: *jap- : to cover; to close, shut (the door)

might be related with kafa (head), kabak (squash, bald head), kapak (lid)

Proto-Turkic: *Kobu-k : empty, hollow


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## Youngfun

CapnPrep said:


> But it has the same etymology ("variante di _cuffia_, con _s-_ in funzione espressiva") and is given as "Forma ant. e pop. (in varie regioni) per _cuffia_" (Treccani).


Thanks. Unfortunately, this meaning is recorded only by the Treccani dictionary.


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## berndf

Youngfun said:


> Thanks. Unfortunately, this meaning is recorded only by the Treccani dictionary.


And, e.g., in Ottorino Pianigiani's etymological dictionary.


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## Youngfun

When I look for etymology of any Italian word, I go either on Treccani or on etimo.it


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