The exact origin of this type is unclear. In Latin, capanna is very rare and, moreover, only attested very late, namely in Isidore of Seville (and another instance in Juvenalscholien from around 800). It has been suspected to be a Celtic word (FEW 2, 244 under capanna), but there seems to be no certain evidence for this. Isidore derives the word from Latin capere, albeit erroneously. He claims that a small hut is called capanna because it can only accommodate one person (Origines, XV [De aedificiis et agris], 12, 2: "Hunc rustici capannam vocant, quod unum tantum capiat"). In the far north of Piedmont, the SENN is called capannaio, among other names.

The phonetic variants of this morpho-lexical type can be grouped into types on the basis of the following criteria:
(1) Variance of the anlaut:

[k-] preserved; cf. fra. cabane;
[k-] palatalised:
- [k-] > [ts-]; cf. frp. tsˈăvănə.
- [k-] > [tɕ-]; cf. Engadine chamanna;
- [k-] > [ʧ-]; cf. frp. ʧavˈaːna.

(2) Anlaut of 2nd syllable in intervocalic position:

[-p-] preserved; cf. ita. capanna;
[-p-] weakened:
- - sonorisation [-p-] > [b-]; cf. fra. cabane;
- - sonorisation and spirantisation [-p-] > [v-];

(3) final vowel:

[-a];
[-ə];
[-e];
[-o].