Word of the Day
capricious \ kuh-PRISH-us \ adjective
Definition
1: governed or characterized by caprice
2: impulsive, unpredictable
2: impulsive, unpredictable
Examples
The court ruled that the punishment was arbitrary and capricious.
"Some of her songs are humorous, even capricious, though many reflect on the more hidden of life's injustices."
"Some of her songs are humorous, even capricious, though many reflect on the more hidden of life's injustices."
— St. Augustine (Florida) Record, February 27, 2015
Did You Know?
The noun caprice, which first appeared in English in the mid-17th century, is a synonym of whim. Evidence shows that the adjective capricious debuted about sixty years before caprice; it's likely, however, that both words derived via French from the Italian capriccio, which originally referred not to a sudden desire but to a sudden shudder of fear.
Capriccio in turn derives from the Italian capo, meaning "head," and riccio, the word for "hedgehog." Someone who shuddered in fear, therefore, was said to have a "hedgehog head"—meaning that his or her hair stood on end like the spines of a hedgehog.
Capriccio in turn derives from the Italian capo, meaning "head," and riccio, the word for "hedgehog." Someone who shuddered in fear, therefore, was said to have a "hedgehog head"—meaning that his or her hair stood on end like the spines of a hedgehog.
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