From Proto-Italic *kapsos, from Proto-Italic *kapjō (“to take, to seize”), possibly a relic of a sigmatic aorist stem in Proto-Italic that later merged with the perfective tense. Compare Latin noxa from noceō, also Ancient Greek σκᾰ́ψᾱς (skắpsās), masculine nominative active indicative aorist participle of σκάπτω (skáptō) (not cognate with the Latin term). Cognate with Latin receptāculum. Compare typologically English container, contain, content (<< Latin contineō).