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/, 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) m., прищявка (bg) 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) 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) f., непостоянност (bg) f. Catalan: capritx (ca) m., caprici (ca) m.

Finnish: oikku (fi)

disposition to be impulsive

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

Romanian: impulsivitate (ro) Russian: своенравие (ru) n.

impulsive change of mind

Bulgarian: прищявка (bg) 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