caprice

caprice
noun Etymology: French, from Italian capriccio caprice, shudder, perhaps from capo head (from Latin caput) + riccio hedgehog, from Latin ericius — more at head, urchin Date: 1667 1. a. a sudden, impulsive, and seemingly unmotivated notion or action b. a sudden usually unpredictable condition, change, or series of changes <
the caprices of the weather
>
2. a disposition to do things impulsively 3. capriccio 3 Synonyms: caprice, whim, vagary, crotchet mean an irrational or unpredictable idea or desire. caprice stresses lack of apparent motivation and suggests willfulness <
by sheer caprice she quit her job
>
. whim implies a fantastic, capricious turn of mind or inclination <
an odd antique that was bought on a whim
>
. vagary stresses the erratic, irresponsible character of the notion or desire <
recently he had been prone to strange vagaries
>
. crotchet implies an eccentric opinion or preference <
a serious scientist equally known for his bizarre crotchets
>
.

New Collegiate Dictionary. 2001.

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  • caprice — [ kapris ] n. m. • 1558; it. capriccio; rad. capra « chèvre » 1 ♦ Détermination arbitraire, envie subite et passagère, fondée sur la fantaisie et l humeur. ⇒ désir, envie; accès, boutade, coup (de tête), fantaisie, foucade, lubie, tocade.… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Caprice — may refer to: Beverage *Caprice (wine), a pink coloured wine blend. Entertainment * Caprice (film), a 1967 film starring Richard Harris and Doris Day. *Caprice (play), by Charles Ludlam Music *Caprice (band), a Moscow based darkwave/neo folk band …   Wikipedia

  • Caprice — Жанры неоклассика Годы 1996 н. в. Страна …   Википедия

  • caprice — CAPRICE. subst. masc. Fantaisie, boutade. Il se gouverne plus par caprice que par raison. Avoir des caprices. Etre sujet aux caprices d autrui. Dépendre des caprices d autrui. Suivre son caprice. [b]f♛/b] Il signifie quelquefois, Saillie d esprit …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie Française 1798

  • caprice — caprice, freak, fancy, whim, whimsy, conceit, vagary, crotchet are comparable when denoting an arbitrary notion that usually lacks a logical basis and therefore may be unsound, impractical, or even irrational. Caprice emphasizes the lack of… …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • caprice — CAPRICE. s. m. Fantaisie, boutade. Il se gouverne plus par caprice que par raison. avoir des caprices. estre sujet aux caprices d autruy. dependre des caprices d autruy. Il signifie quelquefois, Saillie d esprit & d imagination, & alors il se… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Caprice — Ca*price (k[.a]*pr[=e]s ), n. [F. caprice, It. capriccio, caprice (perh. orig. a fantastical goat leap), fr. L. caper, capra, goat. Cf {Capriole}, {Cab}, {Caper}, v. i.] 1. An abrupt change in feeling, opinion, or action, proceeding from some… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Caprice — bezeichnet einen weiblichen Vornamen aus dem französischen Wortschatz eine Kaprice, Laune ein Musikstück mit freiem, spielerischem und scherzhaftem Charakter, auch Capriccio genannt das nordamerikanische Model Caprice Bourret ein Automodell von… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • caprice — [kə prēs′] n. [Fr < It capriccio, a shivering, whim < capo (< L caput, HEAD) + riccio, curl, frizzled, lit., hedgehog (< L ericius: see URCHIN); hence, orig., head with bristling hair, horripilation; meaning infl. by assoc. with It… …   English World dictionary

  • caprice — (n.) 1660s, from Fr. caprice whim (16c.), from It. capriccio whim, originally a shivering, possibly from capro goat, with reference to frisking; but another theory connects the It. word with capo head + riccio curl, frizzled, lit. hedgehog (from… …   Etymology dictionary

  • Caprice — (fr., spr. Kapris), 1) Laune, Eigensinn; 2) so v.w. Capriccio. Daher Capriciös, launenhaft; sich Capriciren, eigensinnig auf etwas bestehen …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

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