va·gar·y

[vuh-gair-ee, vey-guh-ree]
noun, plural va·gar·ies.
1.
an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance: the vagaries of weather; the vagaries of the economic scene.
2.
a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action.

Origin:
1565–75, in sense “wandering journey”; apparently < Latin vagārī to wander


2. caprice, whim, quirk, crotchet.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
vagary (ˈveɪɡərɪ, vəˈɡɛərɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -garies
an erratic or outlandish notion or action; whim
 
[C16: probably from Latin vagārī to roam; compare Latin vagusvague]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
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00:10
Vagary is always a great word to know.
So is lollapalooza. Does it mean:
an extraordinary or unusual thing, person, or event; an exceptional example or instance.
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

vagary
1577, "a wandering, a roaming journey," probably from L. vagari "to wander, roam, be unsettled, spread abroad" from vagus "roving, wandering" (see vague). Current meaning of "eccentric notion or conduct" (1629) is from notion of mental wandering.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
He caught at every illusive vagary that might promise to retrieve his error.
During storage the modules are subject to excess ground water in isolated or large areas, depending on weather vagary.
Such vagary was characteristic of subsequent enumerations.
For those not in the know, this is a vagary of planetary alignment that occurs about three times a year.
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