Word of the Day

Monday, January 16, 2006

capricious

\kuh-PRISH-us; -PREE-shus\ , adjective;

Apt to change suddenly; whimsical; changeable.

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Quotes:

Molly was a capricious woman. Her moods were unpredictable, her anger petty and vicious.

-- Rand Roberts and James Olson, John Wayne: American

The Countess was a capricious minx, by turns seductive and aloof.

-- Saul David, Prince of Pleasure: The Prince of Wales and the Making of the Regency

Mathematics is logical; people are erratic, capricious, and barely comprehensible.

-- Bruce Schneier, Secrets and Lies: Digital Security in a Networked World

Origin:

Capricious comes, via French, from Italian capriccio, a shivering, a shudder, finally (influenced by Italian capra, goat) a whim, from capo, head (from Latin caput) + riccio, hedgehog (from Latin ericius). The basic idea is that of a head with hair standing on end, like the spines of a hedgehog.