Vagaries

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. An unpredictable or erratic action or occurrence that often leads to surprising outcomes
2. A whimsical or fanciful notion or behavior that can change unexpectedly and without reason
3. An instance of fanciful change or variation that lacks a clear logical progression or consistency

Etymology: "Vagaries" is the plural of "vagary", a noun that traces back to Latin "vagari", meaning "to wander". The Latin root "vagus" meant "wandering", and the word passed into English through Italian "vagare", which carries the same sense of roaming without a fixed course. The original picture is of something drifting off its path, which fits the modern sense of capricious shifts. The English spelling is the odd part. Speakers later seem to have reinterpreted the word as a combination of "vague" and "-ery", as if it described something vague or unpredictable, and the spelling stayed the same even though that link is not the true source. Its ending may also have been read as the common "-ary" pattern from Latin, since "vagus" plus "-ary" is how the word looks on the surface. The sense of wandering about has therefore become a sense of unpredictability, and the modern plural usage points to the many turns a person or situation can take.

Synonyms: whims, fancies, caprices, follies, quirks

Antonyms: certainty, stability