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Caper

 - 9 dictionary results
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ca⋅per

1  [key-per]
Use Caper in a Sentence
–verb (used without object)
1. to leap or skip about in a sprightly manner; prance; frisk; gambol.
–noun
2. a playful leap or skip.
3. a prank or trick; harebrained escapade.
4. a frivolous, carefree episode or activity.
5. Slang. a criminal or illegal act, as a burglary or robbery.
—Idiom
6. cut a caper. cut (def. 80a).
Origin:
1585–95; fig. use of L caper he-goat (c. OE hæfer, ON hafr, OIr caera sheep < a West IE term *kap-(e)ro- for a domesticated smaller animal); for the meaning, cf. dog (v.)

Related forms:
ca⋅per⋅er, noun
ca⋅per⋅ing⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
3. stunt, antic, shenanigans. 4. spree, frolic.
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Got a recipe that calls for capers? Purchase your capers online.
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Caper
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Tienda.com

ca⋅per

2  [key-per]
–noun
1. a spiny shrub, Capparis spinosa, of Mediterranean regions, having roundish leaves and solitary white flowers.
2. its flower bud, which is pickled and used for garnish or seasoning.
Compare caper family.

Origin:
1350–1400; back formation from capers (taken for pl.), ME caperes < L capparis < Gk kápparis

cape

2  [keyp] noun, verb, caped, cap⋅ing, adjective
–noun
1. a piece of land jutting into the sea or some other large body of water.
2. the Cape.
a. Northeastern U.S. Cape Cod.
b. Cape of Good Hope.
3. capeskin.
–verb (used without object)
4. Nautical. (of a ship) to have good steering qualities.
–adjective
5. (initial capital letter) pertaining to the Cape of Good Hope or to South Africa: a Cape diamond.
Origin:
1350–1400; ME cap < MF < OPr < VL *capum for L caput head

Synonyms:
1. point, promontory, headland, spit.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To Caper
ca·per 1   (kā'pər)   
n.  

  1. A playful leap or hop.

  2. A frivolous escapade or prank.

  3. Slang An illegal plot or enterprise, especially one involving theft.

intr.v.   ca·pered, ca·per·ing, ca·pers
To leap or frisk about; frolic.

[Alteration of capriole.]
ca·per 2   (kā'pər)   
n.  

  1. A usually spiny Mediterranean shrub (Capparis spinosa) having white to pale lilac flowers and dehiscent fruits with reddish pulp.

  2. A pickled flower bud of this plant, used as a pungent condiment in sauces, relishes, and various other dishes.


[Middle English caperis, capar, from Latin capparis, from Greek kapparis.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Slang Dictionary
caper [ˈkepɚ]

  1. n.
    any stunt or event; a trick or a scam. : That little caper the kids did with the statue from the town square was a dandy.
  2. n.
    a criminal job: theft, kidnapping, blackmail, etc. (Underworld.) : The black and whites pulled up right in the middle of the caper.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

cape  (1)
"garment," O.E. capa, from L.L. cappa "cape, hooded cloak" (see cap). The modern word and meaning were a reborrowing (1565) from Fr., from Sp., in reference to a Sp. style.

caper  (v.)
1588, probably from It. capriolare "jump in the air" (see cab). Meaning "prank" is from 1840s; that of "crime" is from 1926. To cut capers is 1601.

caper  (n.)
1382, from L. capparis, from Gk. kapparis, of uncertain origin. The final -s was mistaken for pl. inflection in Eng. and dropped.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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