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kephalos

Kephalos is the transliteration of the ancient Greek name Κέφαλος (Kephalos). In classical Greek literature, several figures bear this name, the most famous being Cephalus, the hunter who is husband to Procris in myth. As a personal name, Kephalos appears in various Greek and later Latin texts, and the form has given rise to the English and Latin name Cephalus.

The element kephal- (from Greek κεφαλή, kephalē, “head”) is also the origin of the modern prefix cephalo-,

Geographically, Kefalos (also rendered Kephalos) is a village on the island of Kos in the Dodecanese, Greece.

used
across
scientific
terms
to
denote
a
relationship
to
the
head.
In
biology
and
medicine,
cephalo-
appears
in
words
such
as
cephalopod
(a
class
of
marine
animals
with
a
prominent
head),
cephalometry,
and
cephalalgia.
The
association
with
the
head
is
historical,
reflecting
Greek
and
later
Latin
usage
that
linked
the
root
to
anatomical
and
descriptive
terms.
Located
on
the
western
side
of
the
island,
Kefalos
is
known
for
its
coastal
scenery,
beaches,
and
a
hilltop
fortress
that
preserves
a
reminder
of
the
area’s
medieval
history.
The
name
appears
in
both
historical
and
contemporary
contexts,
illustrating
its
use
as
a
mythological
name,
a
personal
name,
and
a
geographic
toponym.