On Proof of Concept
The present etymological consensus seems to be that L. caput, with its multitude of MoE derivatives, such as prince, principal, principle, capital, capitol, occiput, precipice, biceps et al., together with its Germanic cognates, such as Go. haubiþ, OIc. haufuð, OHG houbit, NHG Haupt, OE hēafod together derive from the root of capiō. Capacity and anticipation both derive from capiō rather than caput, as if the captive imagination needed a release for its heavy toll. As I recall I was particularly struck once by the relatedness of capiō to MoE heave, NHG heben, Erhebung, and the like, which seem to suggest the existence of an "uplifting" emotion prior to the formation of a "concept" in the brain, and prior to "the thought seizing the head". If, in the words of the poet, "Between the conception/and the creation/between the emotion/and the response/falls the Shadow" could the Shadow be a pre-condition for this, its achievement (there's another c...