kəˈprēs also ka- noun
( -s )
Etymology: French, from Italian capriccio caprice, shiver, from capo head (from Latin caput ) + riccio hedgehog, from Latin ericius; basic meaning: head with hair standing on end, hence, horror, shivering, then (after Italian capra goat), whim — more at head , urchin
1.
a. : a sudden impulsive apparently unmotivated change of mind : whim , fancy
a gang of unruly children whose caprices may be tolerated — Kenneth Tynan
she sang a verse of it, merely out of caprice — William Black
b. : any sudden change or series of changes or vicissitudes hard to predict or explain
the large and small caprices of the weather — C.C.Furnas
between unchanging custom and the legitimate caprice of custom which is fashion — Edward Sapir
2. : a disposition to change one's mind suddenly, impulsively, or without apparent motive : whimsicality
his owners worked him sorely and with the caprice of Indians alternately … tortured him and treated him as one of themselves — Bernard DeVoto
3.
a. : a fanciful work of art
b. : capriccio 3b