capitulate
UK[kəˈpɪtʃəleɪt]US[kəˈpɪtʃəleɪt]
v
to stop fighting or arguing and accept that you have been defeated
v
to agree to do something that you have been opposing, especially because you are forced to
Morpheme Breakdown
capit
ulate
capit
head
ulate
verb suffix
Etymology
the word 'capitulate' has a surprisingly literal origin. it derives from the medieval latin verb 'capitulare', meaning 'to draw up under headings' or 'to arrange terms', which itself comes from 'capitulum', a diminutive of 'caput' (head). in a military or legal context, to arrange terms under headings was to specify the conditions of surrender in a formal document. over time, the focus shifted from the act of listing terms to the act of agreeing to them, especially under duress. thus, the core meaning evolved from 'to arrange by heads' to the modern sense of 'to surrender or yield'.
Analysis
Structure: capit (head) + ulate (verb suffix)
capit originates from latin 'caput, capitis' meaning 'head'. ulate is a verb-forming suffix from latin '-ulatus', indicating an action.
Examples
after weeks of siege, the garrison was forced to capitulate.
the company finally capitulated to the workers' demands for higher pay.
he refused to capitulate, even when faced with overwhelming evidence.