At one point in time, a person’s wealth could be measured by the number of cattle they owned. The connection is so tight, in fact, that the two words are linked closely together. “Cattle” originally comes from the Anglo-French word “chattel”, which referred to moveable belongings – i.e. everything except land – of all sorts. (The word “chattle” is still in use in specialized circles such as law). More significantly, both words are descended from the Latin word “capitale”, which meant back then, as it does today, “property”.
– A few thoughts from your friend Saxo