What does capitular mean?
A capitular is a member of a chapter — most commonly a canon of a cathedral or collegiate church who shares in its governance and, historically, in its income. Used as an adjective, the word describes anything pertaining to such a chapter: capitular rights, capitular acts, or a capitular body. The term derives from the Latin capitulum, meaning 'little head', which also gave English the word 'chapter' itself, since monastic communities originally took their name from reading a chapter of scripture at each meeting. Today capitular appears almost exclusively in ecclesiastical, legal, and historical writing, describing the clergy who form the chapter or the privileges and duties attaching to them. Though uncommon in everyday speech, it remains precise and useful vocabulary for anyone studying church history or the organization of cathedral institutions.
A member of an ecclesiastical chapter, especially a canon of a cathedral or collegiate church.
"The capitulars assembled to elect their new provost."
In older usage, the plural could denote the collective body of a chapter.
Of or relating to an ecclesiastical chapter or its members.
"The cathedral archives contain numerous capitular records dating from the twelfth century."
Standard plural for the noun sense; unchanged when used as an attributive adjective.
"All the capitulars signed the new statutes."
Every 'chapter' in a book got its name from the chapters of monks who once read scripture aloud at meetings — and a capitular is one of those very canons.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of capitular
Capitular comes from the Late Latin capitulum, a diminutive of caput ('head'), which came to mean both a division of a text and an assembly of clerics meeting under a rule. The word entered English via medieval ecclesiastical Latin, where capitulares were members of a chapter. It is thus a close relative of chapter, capital, and capitulate, all tracing back to caput.
Related word forms
How capitular is actually used
A formal, ecclesiastical term found mainly in contexts concerning cathedrals, collegiate churches, and canon law; rare outside religious and historical writing. The adjective sense is now less common than the noun.
Easily confused with capitular
Capitulate means to surrender or give in, while capitular refers to members or matters of an ecclesiastical chapter — they share the same Latin root but have entirely different meanings.