Caprice literally means "hedgehog head" — hair standing on end from a sudden shiver, the physical sensation that became a metaphor for unpredictable whims.
A sudden, unpredictable change of mood or behavior. A whim or fancy. In music, a lively, free-form composition.
From French caprice, from Italian capriccio (sudden start, whim), possibly from capo (head) + riccio (hedgehog, curly), literally hair standing on end like a hedgehog's quills — a shiver of fright or sudden impulse Key roots: capriccio (Italian: "shiver, sudden whim"), capo (Italian: "head"), riccio (Italian: "hedgehog, curly").
Caprice literally means "hedgehog head" in Italian — capo (head) + riccio (hedgehog). The image is of hair standing on end like a hedgehog's quills, the involuntary shiver that accompanies sudden fright or an unexpected impulse. Goya's famous series of 80 etchings, Los Caprichos (1799), used the title to signal works driven by artistic fancy rather than conventional subjects. In music, a capriccio is a brilliant, free