The story
- Proto-Indo-European · derived from*kap-“head”
- Sanskrit · derived fromकपाल
- Tibetan · borrowed fromཀ་པ་ལ
- English todaykapala
From Tibetan ཀ་པ་ལ (ka pa la), from Sanskrit कपाल (kapāla), meaning "skull", "forehead", "kapala", ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“head”). Doublet of copra.
Words from the same roots
Proto-Indo-European*kap- all →
heavycaptainoccupationcapitalismchieftainheftcaddieprecipicecapitalisticcapitulationcapitulateprecipitantcadelcapitellum
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.