Kapo

See also: kapo, kapò, kápo, and kãpó

German

Alternative forms

• Capo

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

Clipping of Kaporal (Upper German), from Italian caporale (“corporal”), from Italian capo, from Vulgar Latin capus, from Latin caput. There is some uncertainty about the etymology of the sense "prisoner functionary". Pfeifer connects it to the same etymology as above, however Duden claims an origin in French caporal. In favour of Pfeifer is the fact that the first concentration camp, Dachau, was in Upper German territory and many early inmates came from the workers' movement and trade unions, who could have introduced the dialectal term Kapo (“site foreman”) (construction slang). Compare also East Franconian Kapo, Rhine Franconian Kapo, Alemannic German Capo, all meaning "foreman". Although plausible, the folk-etymology which assumes a direct loan from Italian capo (“boss, chief”) suggested by occasional spellings Capo, Lagercapo and no-doubt reinforced in later times by the Italian term's dissemination in the wake of the Godfather trilogy has not been substantiated. Doublet of Korporal and (obsolete) Kapo (“military commander”).

Noun

Kapo m (strong, genitive Kapos, plural Kapos)

1. (military slang) corporal, non-commissioned officer

   Synonym: Unteroffizier

2. (Southern Germany, Austria) foreman

   Synonyms: Vorarbeiter, Polier

3. (historical, prison slang) kapo, prisoner functionary (a prisoner of a Nazi concentration camp who was given food and privileges in return for supervising other prisoners doing forced labor)

   Synonyms: Funktionshäftling, Lagerkapo, Lagercapo

Declension

Declension of Kapo [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Kapo	die	Kapos
genitive	eines	des	Kapos	der	Kapos
dative	einem	dem	Kapo	den	Kapos
accusative	einen	den	Kapo	die	Kapos

Descendants

• → Arabic: كابو
• → Armenian: կապո (kapo)
• → Breton: kapo
• → Catalan: kapo
• → Czech: kápo
• → Danish: kapo
• → Dutch: kapo
• → English: kapo
• → Persian: کاپو
• → Finnish: kapo
• → French: kapo
• → Galician: kapo
• → Hebrew: קאפו
• → Hungarian: kápó
• → Interlingua: kapo
• → Italian: kapò
• → Norwegian Bokmål: kapo
• → Polish: kapo
• → Portuguese: kapo
• → Russian: капо́ (kapó)
• → Serbo-Croatian: kapo, капо
• → Spanish: kapo
• → Swedish: kapo
• → Thai: คาโพ
• → Ukrainian: ка́по (kápo)
• → Yiddish: קאַפּאָ (kapo)

Etymology 2

Clipping of Kantonspolizei.

Noun

Kapo f (genitive Kapo, no plural)

1. (Switzerland) Cantonal police

Declension

Declension of Kapo [sg-only, feminine]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	eine	die	Kapo
genitive	einer	der	Kapo
dative	einer	der	Kapo
accusative	eine	die	Kapo

Etymology 3

Borrowed from Italian capo. Doublet of Korporal and Kapo (“corporal; prisoner-overseer”).

Noun

Kapo m (strong, genitive Kapos, no plural)

1. (obsolete) leader, military commander [17th c.]

   Synonym: Oberhaupt

Declension

Declension of Kapo [sg-only, masculine, strong]

	singular
	indef.	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Kapo
genitive	eines	des	Kapos
dative	einem	dem	Kapo
accusative	einen	den	Kapo

Further reading

• “Kapo” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
• “Kapo” in Duden online
• “Kapo” in Duden online