The Segreto Hidden in your Cappuccino

Have you ever enjoyed a cappuccino in Italy—or dreamed about it? Well, here's a surprise. There's a little segreto (secret) hiding inside the word cappuccino. It's one of the most useful little words in Italian. Once you notice it, you'll start seeing it in all kinds of Italian words. 

The little word is capo. But where to begin? Capo has quite a few meanings, so... let's begin at the beginning—because that happens to be one meaning of capo.

Non ha né capo né coda (it has neither a beginning nor an end/neither head nor tail).

Dai, facciamo ancora l'ultima serie, tutto da capo e poi abbiamo terminato.

Come on, let's do the last series again, everything from the beginning, and then we're done.

Captions 30-31, La compagnia del cigno EP 5 - Part 8

 {t}Play Caption{/t}

This has morphed into one word people use in everyday conversation when it's time to start over (from square one). 

Il tempo di mettere da parte abbastanza soldi per cambiare aria e ricominciare daccapo.

The time it took to put aside enough money, to get a change of scene, and start over from the beginning.

Captions 22-23, Il Commissario Manara S2EP4 - Miss Maremma - Part 6

 {t}Play Caption{/t}

So how is capo hidden inside cappuccino? Above, I brought up this expression:

Non ha né capo né coda (it has neither a beginning nor an end/head nor tail).

We can talk about an animal with a head and tail. And to tell the truth, the first meaning of capo is "head." It comes from the Latin: caput.

➡️ Note: Nowadays, Italians usually say testa when they mean the part of the body. But capo survives in many expressions and compound words, which is why you'll see it everywhere once you start looking.

Un ragazzo, aveva la felpa e il cappuccio in testa.

A guy. He had a sweatshirt and a hood over his head.

Caption 58, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1 EP6 Buio - Part 4

 {t}Play Caption{/t}

 

The word cappuccio makes sense because it covers the capo or head. Within the Franciscan religious movement founded by St. Francis of Assisi in 1209 (i Franciscani), there's an order, founded in 1529, that became known as i Cappuccini (the Capuchins in English) because of their long pointed hoods. Their habits were brown, just like the mix of coffee and milk in a cappuccino. According to the traditional explanation, this is how cappuccino, that magical mix of espresso and steamed milk, got its name.

In the following example, the waiter is asking what his customers would like. One customer asks the other if he wants a cappuccino, he gets a nod, then orders 2 of them. 

Cosa vi porto? -Le va un cappuccino? Allora, due cappuccini e un tè. -Grazie,

What shall I bring you? -Do you feel like a cappuccino? So, two cappuccinos and a tea. -Thank you,

Captions 52-54, Provaci ancora prof! S3EP3 La terza vittima - Part 12

 {t}Play Caption{/t}

 

One important meaning of capo is "head," but in the figurative sense of leader, boss, or chief, depending on the context.  From there, it's easy to understand why capo also came to mean the person "at the head" of a group.  

Riunione dal capo.

Meeting with the chief.

Caption 26, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S2 EP1 Cuccioli - Part 13

 {t}Play Caption{/t}