caper means A playful leap or jump.
caper is pronounced /ˈkeɪpɚ/.
Why “caper” is a great word
A playful, frisky leap or skip; a mischievous escapade, or to perform such a motion. It springs from a clipped form of the obsolete English verb 'capriole' (meaning to leap), from Italian 'capriolare' (to jump in the air), from 'capriolo' (roebuck, wild goat), ultimately from Latin 'caper' (he-goat); the verb first leapt into English in the 1580s. Unlike a prank, which is typically a single, targeted trick, or a gambol, which strictly denotes the leaping play of animals or children, a caper carries the spirit of a more elaborate, airy adventure. It is the buoyant, airborne pause in a folk dance, the plotted midnight raid for a lark, or the goat's sure-footed bound up a sheer cliff face—a small, defiant rebellion against gravity and gravity's law of solemnity.
Etymology
Clipping of capriole.
noun
- A playful leap or jump.
- A jump while dancing.
- A prank or practical joke.
- Playful behaviour.
- A crime, especially an elaborate heist, or a narrative about such a crime.e.g.“His caper had failed to find a comic resolution. Instead, there had been a genre switch, and the madcap adventure had turned serious. Or had this bleakness underlain the caper from the start?”
- The pungent grayish green flower bud of the European and Oriental caper (Capparis spinosa), which is pickled and eaten.
- A plant of the genus Capparis.
- A vessel formerly used by the Dutch; privateer.
- The capercaillie.
verb
- To leap or jump about in a sprightly or playful manner.e.g.“He capered before them down towards the fortyfoot hole, fluttering his winglike hands, leaping nimbly, Mercury’s hat quivering in the fresh wind that bore back to them his brief birdsweet cries.”
- To jump as part of a dance.
- To engage in playful behaviour.
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- gambol 89% match — To move about playfully; to frolic. vs caper →
- escapade 85% match — A daring or adventurous act; an undertaking which goes against convention. vs caper →
- scamper 85% match — A quick, light run. vs caper →
- frolic 83% match — Merry, joyous, full of mirth; later especially, frolicsome, sportive, full of playful mischief. vs caper →
- mischief 83% match — Conduct that playfully causes petty annoyance. vs caper →
- gallivant 82% match — To roam about for pleasure without any definite plan. vs caper →
- gammock 82% match — Fun, sport, play, frolic. vs caper →
- shenanigans 81% match — Mischievous play, especially by children. vs caper →