Caprices

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A whimsical change in mood or behavior that lacks rational basis
2. an impulsive decision influenced by unpredictable desires
3. an unexpected turn of events driven by personal fancy or whimsy

Etymology: The surprise here is that "caprice" began as a word about fright. Its Italian ancestor, "caporiccio", combined "capo" (head) with "riccio" (hedgehog, from Latin "ericius"), so the image was of hair standing on end, the bristling reaction of a sudden start. The sense of a sudden jolt gradually gave way to the idea of a sudden change of mind, and in Italian "capriccio" came to mean a whim or fancy. English borrowed the word from French "caprice", which had itself taken it from Italian. The Italian form survives in English as a doublet, "capriccio", which keeps the musical sense of a lively, free-spirited piece. "Caprices" is simply the plural of "caprice", so it refers to several sudden, unpredictable changes of mood or decision.

Synonyms: whims, fancies, quirks