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Anonymous Posted 12 years ago
Vocabulary

behead vs decapitate

While I understand the difference in definition of the two, can anyone explain why it is de-capitate and be-head vs de-head or be-capitate?
  

Top answer

Because the word behead comes from the Germanic Old English word: beheafdian. It has the Old English prefix: be- + root word: heafod (head). And the word decapitate comes from the Romance languages (Old French and Latin).

— AlpheccaStars

  • Because the word behead comes from the Germanic Old English word: beheafdian.
  • It has the Old English prefix: be- + root word: heafod (head).
  • And the word decapitate comes from the Romance languages (Old French and Latin).
  • De- (off) and caput (genitive capitis) "head" English has many pairs of synonyms, one word from Germanic roots, and the other from Latin / French roots.
  • A good example is: Freedom (Germanic), and Liberty (Latin/French)
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4 Answers
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Because the word behead comes from the Germanic Old English word: beheafdian.
It has the Old English prefix: be- + root word: heafod (head).
And the word decapitate comes from the Romance languages (Old French and Latin). De- (off) and caput (genitive capitis) "head"

English has many pairs of synonyms, one word from Germanic roots, and the other from Latin / Frenc
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AlpheccaStarsBecause the word behead comes from the Germanic Old English word: beheafdian.
According to various sources (e.g. http://www.chambers.co.uk/search.php?query=behead&title=21st), this "be-" prefix means "off" or "away". Can anyone think
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No, but here's one with a nearly opposite meaning!
befriend

According to various sources, the prefix be- was used for many different meanings.
http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?term=be-&allowed_in_frame=0
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How about bereave and bereft?
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