When we were discussing home repair and renovation projects to accomplish this summer Patti mentioned the windows in the computer room. These windows are the only original ones on the main floor of our house. They are wood and needed to be repainted as the paint on the bottom half was cracked and even peeled off in some spots. I neglected to do anything until last week. After the gentle reminder that the summer season was fleeting and the project needed to be done, I capitulated and began the scraping and painting.
Capitulate means to cease resisting or acquiesce. I complied with her request and accepted the task passively.
Capitulate was derived from the Medieval Latin capitulare meaning to distinguish text by chapter or headings. The Latin capitulum referred to chapters or sections. A capitulare signified a document broken down into smaller, numbered or titled parts, like articles in a law. A capitulary was a series of laws or administrative acts from the Merovingian and Carolingian dynasties, particularly Charlemagne (748-814 AD).
When capitulate first entered the English language in the 1500s, it meant to discuss terms with an enemy, to negotiate and draw up sections of a deal. That sense of capitulate is seldom used in English anymore.
Eventually capitulate came to imply surrender. Capitulation happened with agreed upon terms or in hopelessness before strong opposing forces. The government was forced to capitulate unconditionally to the invading army.
Ultimately capitulate was used to indicate to cease resisting. The company capitulated to the union’s demands and avoided a strike. For the sake of their fans and to save the season, the players’ union capitulated to the owners’ pressures.
Yield, submit, succumb, relent, defer, and capitulate all denote to give way to someone or something that one can no longer resist.
Yield applies to giving way before force, argument, or persuasion. Whenever they get into a discussion about finances he yields too easily to his partner.
Submit suggests surrendering after resistance to the will or control of another. A repentant sinner often vows to submit to God’s will in the future.
Succumb implies weakness and helplessness in the one who gives way to an opposing force. After many years of success in stage theatre the actor succumbed to the lure of Hollywood.
Relent means backing down through pity or mercy by the one who holds the upper hand. The parents finally relented to the children’s unending pleas for a puppy.
Defer signifies a voluntary yielding out of respect or reverence or affection toward another. I defer to your expertise in these matters.
Capitulate stresses the fact of ending all resistance by a coming to terms or acknowledging the futility of the situation and giving in. The school officials capitulated to the students’ demands for a more lenient dress code. The government refused to capitulate despite the dwindling resources necessary to complete the project.
When the granddaughters were scheduled to arrive for a few days we decided to enforce a strict bedtime routine and hour. After the first night we capitulated far too easily in the face of a united front opposing us. For the sake of peace and quiet it is sometimes better to capitulate. Grandparents are allowed that option.
Columnist John Kreutzwieser loves to research words and writes this weekly Word Wisdom column for Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com. He has an interest in the usage, origin, and relevance of words for society today. Greek and Latin form the basis of many words, with ancient Hebrew shedding light on word usage.
John would like to know if anyone has a sincere interest in a relevant word that he could possibly research for an upcoming column. If so, please send your requests to [email protected] . Words will be selected according to relevance and research criteria. We cannot confirm that all words will be used.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of this publication.
