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Caprice
Caprice ♀ From the vocabulary word referring to a whim or something whimsical. The word came into English via French from Italian capriccio, which originally referred to a sensation of horror making the hair stand on end (from Italian capo ‘head’ + riccio ‘hedgehog’); its later meaning derives from association with the stubbornness of the goat (Italian capra).
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Cite this article
PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Caprice." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Caprice." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Caprice.html PATRICK HANKS, KATE HARDCASTLE, and FLAVIA HODGES. "Caprice." A Dictionary of First Names. 2006. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O41-Caprice.html |
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caprice
caprice sudden unaccountable turn of mind XVII; work of art of lively or sportive character XVIII. — F. — It. capriccio orig. horror (the mod. sense being due to assoc. with capra goat), f. capo head (:- L. caput) + riccio hedgehog (:- L. ericeus URCHIN), lit. ‘head with the hair standing on end’.
So capricious XVI. |
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Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "caprice." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "caprice." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-caprice.html T. F. HOAD. "caprice." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-caprice.html |
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caprice
ca·price / kəˈprēs/ • n. 1. a sudden and unaccountable change of mood or behavior. 2. Mus. another term for capriccio. |
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Cite this article
"caprice." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "caprice." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-caprice.html "caprice." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-caprice.html |
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caprice
caprice
•anis, apiece, Berenice, caprice, cassis, cease, coulisse, crease, Dumfries, fils, fleece, geese, grease, Greece, kris, lease, Lucrece, MacNeice, Matisse, McAleese, Nice, niece, obese, peace, pelisse, piece, police, Rees, Rhys, set piece, sublease, surcease, two-piece, underlease
•mantelpiece • headpiece • hairpiece
•tailpiece • Greenpeace
•chimney piece • frontispiece
•timepiece • codpiece • crosspiece
•mouthpiece • showpiece • earpiece
•masterpiece
•centrepiece (US centerpiece)
•altarpiece • workpiece • ambergris
•calabrese
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Cite this article
"caprice." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 29 May. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "caprice." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (May 29, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-caprice.html "caprice." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved May 29, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-caprice.html |
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