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Where does the word "capriccio" come from? It comes from Latin caper, passing through Italian before entering English (1600s-1690s).
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Where does the word "capriccio" come from? It comes from Latin caper, passing through Italian before entering English (1600s-1690s).
Capriccio’s story begins in Latin: caper meant “goat.” One proposed root, 'goat', for its frisky, unpredictable movements. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in Italian as capriccio. Originally 'a shivering', it came to mean a sudden whim or caprice. It reached English by 1600s-1690s as capriccio. Entered for a whim or prank, then specialized to a free-form musical composition. Today, capriccio means a lively, free-form musical composition, or a whimsical impulse.
- Stage 1 · Latin · ancient caper "goat", one proposed root, 'goat', for its frisky, unpredictable movements.
- Stage 2 · Italian · 1500s capriccio "a shudder; a caprice, whim", originally 'a shivering', it came to mean a sudden whim or caprice.
- Stage 3 · English · 1600s-1690s capriccio "a lively, free-form musical piece", entered for a whim or prank, then specialized to a free-form musical composition.