caprice

English

WOTD – 25 January 2006    

Etymology

From French caprice, from Italian capriccio, from caporiccio (“fright, sudden start”): capo (“head”), from Latin caput + riccio (“curly”), from Latin ericius (“hedgehog”), or from Italian capro (“goat”)

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /kəˈpɹis/, X-SAMPA: /k@"pris/

Noun

caprice (plural caprices)

1. An impulsive, seemingly unmotivated notion or action.
2. An unpredictable or sudden condition, change, or series of changes.
3. A disposition to be impulsive.
4. An impulsive change of mind.

Related terms

• capricious

Translations

impulsive, seemingly unmotivated notion or action

• Breton: froudenn (br) f
• Bulgarian: каприз (bg) (kapriz) m, прищявка (bg) (prištjavka) f
• Catalan: capritx (ca) m, caprici (ca) m
• Dutch: capriool (nl) n, capriolen (nl) pl
• Finnish: heitto (fi), möläys (fi) (notion); oikku (fi) (action)
• French: caprice (fr) m
• German: Laune (de) f

• Romanian: capriciu (ro) n
• Russian: каприз (ru) (kapriz) m
• Serbo-Croatian:

  Cyrillic: хи̑р (sh) m

  Roman: hȋr (sh) m

• Spanish: capricho (es)

unpredictable or sudden condition, change, or series of changes

• Bulgarian: изменчивост (bg) (izmenčivost) f, непостоянност (bg) (nepostojannost) f
• Catalan: capritx (ca) m, caprici (ca) m

• Finnish: oikku (fi)

disposition to be impulsive

• Bulgarian: импулсивност (bg) (impulsivnost) f
• Finnish: oikullisuus (fi), oikuttelu (fi)

• Romanian: impulsivitate (ro)
• Russian: своенравие (ru) (svojenravije) n

impulsive change of mind

• Bulgarian: прищявка (bg) (prištjavka) f

• Finnish: oikku (fi)

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French

Etymology

From Italian capriccio.

Pronunciation

• IPA: /kapʁis/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

caprice m (plural caprices)

1. whim; wish
   • 1829, Victor Hugo, Le Dernier Jour d’un condamné

     Pas malade ! en effet, je suis jeune, sain et fort. Le sang coule librement dans mes veines ; tous mes membres obéissent à tous mes caprices

     Not ill! Indeed, I am young, healthy and strong. Blood flows freely in my veins; all my parts obey my every wish.

2. tantrum