Caprellidas 
The Caprellidce are long and slender forms with well- 
developed antenna: and antennute. They live in salt 
water, walking around on submarine plants in a very 
deliberate manner, and progress by a doubling up of the 
body in about the same way that the measuring-worm 
does. The most common species on the Atlantic coast 
received its name (Caprella geometrica) from this habit. 
Stand. Nat. Hist., II. 73. 
caprelline (ka-prel'in), o. Pertaining to or 
having the characters of the Caprellidai. 
capreolt, capreolet, [= MF. capreole, ca- 
preolle, capriole, a tendril, < L. capreolus : see 
capreolus.] 1. A buck or he-goat. 2. A ten- 
dril ; a capreolus. 
capreolary (kap're-o-la-ri), a. [< NL. capreo- 
larius, < L. capreolus, a tendril: see capreolus.] 
Same as capreolate, 2. 
capreolate (kap're-o-lat), a. [< L. capreolus, 
a tendril (see capreolus), + -ate 1 .] 1. In hot., 
provided with tendrils. 2. In anat., resem- 
bling tendrils : applied to the spermatic vessels, 
or vasa capreolaria, from their twisted appear- 
ance. 
capreoli, . Plural of capreolus. 
capreoline (ka-pre'o-lin), a. [< Capreolus, 3, + 
-iwe 1 .] Pertaining to the subgenus Capreolus; 
specifically, relating or akin to the roebuck. 
capreolus (ka-pre'o-lus), .; pi. capreoli (-Ii). 
[L. capreolus, ML. 'also capriolus, a wild goat, 
roebuck, chamois, a tendril of a plant, dim. of 
"capreus, fern, caprea, a wild goat: see coper 1 
and capriole.'] If. A buck or he-goat. E. 
Phillips, 1706. 2. The tendril of a plant 
3. [cap.] [NL.] A subgenus of deer, includ- 
ing the roebuck, Capreolus caprtea. Hamilton 
Smith, 1827. 
caprett, [ME. (translating L. caprea in Vul- 
gate), = OF. "chevret, m., chevrett, chevrette, a 
kid (as dim. of chevrc, a goat), a wild goat, F. 
chevrette, f., a doe, roe (see chevrette), = It. co- 
pretto, m., capretta, f., < ML. capretus, m., *ca- 
preta, f., equiv. to capreolus, capreola, a wild 
goat: see capreolus, caper 1 .] Aroebuck; a roe. 
As capret and hert thou shall ete. Wyclif, Deut. xii. 15. 
A moost swift renner, as oon of the caprettis [var. ca- 
pretis] that dwellen in wodis. 
Wyclif, 2 Ki. [2 Sam.] ii. 18. 
capric (kap'rik), a. [< L. caper, a goat: see 
caper 1 .] Of or pertaining to a goat. Also 
caprinic Capric add, C 10 H 20 Oo, a peculiar acid first 
discovered by Chevreul in the butter of cows' milk. It 
occurs also in goats' milk, in cocoanut-oil, and in several 
kinds of fusel-oil. It is crystalline, somewhat soluble in 
hot water, and has a faint goat-like smell when cold, which 
becomes more offensive on heating. Also called rutic acid. 
capriccio (ka-prich'io), n. [< It. capriccio: 
see caprice.] If. A caprice ; a whim. Also 
caprichio. 
Will this capricio hold in thee, art sure? 
Shak., All's Well, a S. 
Sometimes 
(In quite opposed capriccios) he climbs 
The hardest rocks and highest, every way 
Running their ridges. Chapman, Homeric Hymns. 
2. A musical composition in a free, irregular, 
and often whimsical style : first applied to de- 
viations from strict forms, like the fugue, espe- 
cially when in quick tempo, but now extended 
to any fancifully irregular piece. Also caprice. 
capriccioso (ka -pre -chid 'so), adv. [It.,<ca- 
priccio, caprice : see capriccio, caprice, and ca- 
pricious.] In music, in a free, fantastic style. 
caprice (ka-pres'), n. [Early mod. E. also ca- 
priche, capritch, and caprichio, capriccio, after 
It. ; < F. caprice, < It. capriccio = Sp. Pg. ca- 
pricho, a caprice, whim; of disputed origin; 
usually, but without sufficient evidence, de- 
rived from It. caprio, a goat (as if orig. 'a goat- 
leap'). Cf. caper 1 and capriole.] 1. A sudden 
start of the mind ; a sudden change of opinion 
or humor, without apparent or adequate mo- 
tive ; a whim, freak, or particular fancy. 
I found the night as full of beauty as the day, when 
caprice led me from the brilliancy of St. Mark's. 
Howells, Venetian Life, ii. 
2. The habit of acting according to varying 
impulses ; capriciousness. 
Everywhere I observe in the feminine mind something 
of beautiful caprice, a floral exuberance of that charm- 
ing wilfulness which characterizes our dear human sis- 
ters, I fear through all worlds. De Quincey. 
3. Same as capriccio, 2. = Syn. 1. Vagary, humor, 
whim, crotchet. 2. Fickleness. 
caprichet, capritcht, . [See caprice.] A ca- 
808 
caprichio t, . See capriccio, 1. 
capricious (ka-prish'us), a. [Formerly also cri- 
priccious ; = F. capricieiijc = Sp. Pg. capricho- 
so = It. capriccioso, capricious ; from the noun : 
see caprice. ] Characterized by caprice ; apt to 
change opinions suddenly, or to deviate from 
one's purpose ; unsteady ; changeable ; fickle ; 
subject to change or irregularity: as, a man 
of a capricious temper. 
Nor unnoted pass 
The sycamore, capricious in attire, 
Now green, now tawny, and ere autumn yet 
Have ehang'd the woods, in scarlet honours bright. 
Cuvjjier, The Task, i. 818. 
Tho king, . . . under the influence of capricious pas- 
sions, suddenly dissolved . . . parliament. 
Bancroft, Hist. U. S., I. 379. 
A bud taken from any one of the branches, and grafted 
on another tree, produces either one of the pure kinds or 
a capricious tree producing the three kinds. 
Darwin, Var. of Animals and Plants, p. 357. 
= Syn. Freakish, unsteady, fanciful, whimsical, fitful, 
crotchety, uncertain. 
capriciously (ka-prish'us-li), adv. In a capri- 
cious manner ; whimsically ; irregularly. 
The unskilled laborer has ceased to be at the mercy of 
a master ; but the force that the master once applied to 
him capriciounltf is now applied to him instead by his 
whole social environment, and that not capriciously, but 
with the regularity of a natural law. 
'. //. Mallock, Social Equality, p. 191. 
capriciousness (ka-prish'us-nes), n. 1. The 
quality of being capricious; whimsicalness ; 
unsteadiness of purpose or opinion : as, "great 
capriciousness of taste," Pennant, Brit. Zool., 
Class 4; "the capriciousness of a sickly heart," 
Irving, Sketch-Book, p. 94. 2. Unsteadiness; 
liableness to sudden changes ; irregularity : as, 
the capriciousness of fortune. 
Capricorn (kap'ri-k6rn), . [= F. Capricorne = 
It. Capricorno (= Sp. Pg. Capricornio, after ML. 
Capricornium); < L. Capricormis, a zodiacal 
constellation (see def.) (> ML. Capricornium, 
the winter solstice), lit. 'goat-horned' (and 
hence in ML. capricornus, a steinbok, ibex), < 
caper (capr-), goat, + cornu = E. horn. Cf. Gr. 
aiytinepuf, goat-horned, the constellation Capri- 
corn.] 1. An ancient zodiacal constellation 
between Sagittarius and Aquarius; also, one of 
the twelve signs of the zodiac, the winter sol- 
stice: represented on ancient monuments by 
the figure of a goat, or a figure having the fore 
price. 
Shall a man fear capricheg t 
Chapman, Gentleman Usher, v. 1. 
O hold, for pity, Sir, 
I am too great a sufferer, 
Abus'd as you have been b' a witch, 
Hut eonjur'd int' a worse capritch. 
S. Butler, Hudibras, III. i. 310. 
The Constellation of Capricorn, according to ancient descriptions 
and figures. 
part like a goat and the hind part like a fish. Its 
symbol is V3. 2f. [I.e.] An ibex; a steinbok. 
He shew'd two heads and homes of the true capricortie, 
which animal, he told us, was frequently kill'd among 
the mountaines. Evelyn, Diary (1646), p. 189. 
Capricorn beetles, beetles of the family Cerambycidce 
(which see). Tropic of Capricorn. See tropic. 
capricornifyt (kap-ri-kor'ni-fi), v. t. [< capri- 
corn (with allusion to horn, v.) + -4-fy.] To 
horn; cuckold. [Low.] 
caprid (kap'rid), . Of or pertaining to the 
Caprid&OT Caprince; relating to a goat ; hircine. 
Capridae 1 (kap'ri-de), n. pi. [NL., < Copra + 
-iace.] The Caprina;, or goat tribe, elevated to 
the rank of a family of hollow-horned rumi- 
nants. 
Capridse 2 (kap'ri-de), n. pi. Same as Caproida;. 
caprificate (kap'ri-fi-kat), v. t.; pret. and pp. 
caprificated. ppr. caprifieating. [< L. caprifi- 
catus, pp. of caprificare: see caprify.] To ripen 
by caprification ; caprify. 
caprification (kap"ri-fi-ka'shou), n. [< L. 
ca]-ificatio(n~), < caprificare : see caprify.] A 
process intended to accelerate the ripening 
of the fig, and to improve the fruit, it consists 
in suspending branches of the wild fig (see eapriHir) in 
the cultivated trees, and subjecting the fruit to the at- 
tacks of the gall-insects which are thus introduced. The 
practice is one of great antiquity, but, though still fol- 
lowed In many localities, is of very doubtful utility. 
Caprification is also effected by planting an occasional 
wild fig among the others. In some portions of France 
the same object is attained by touching a drop of oil to 
caprimulgine 
the orifice of the fruit, by which its ripening is hastened 
nearly a week. 
caprificus (kap-ri-fi'kus), n. [L., the wild fig- 
tree, lit. 'goat-fig,' < caper (capr-), a goat, + 
fieus, fig: see caper 1 and fir/.] The caprifig. 
caprifig (kap'ri-fig), n. [< L. caj/rificus, a wild 
fig, the second element being accom. to E. 
fig: see caprificus.] The uncultivated male 
form of the common fig, Ficus Carica, which 
is practically dioecious, though staminate and 
pistillate flowers are found upon the same tree. 
The fruit of the caprifig is hard and useless, but is the 
home of a small gnat-like gall-insect, Blastophaga ffrott- 
sorum, which in escaping from the orifice covers itself 
with pollen and thus becomes a means for effecting the 
fertilization of the ediiile fig. See capriftcatinti. 
caprifolet, caprifolyt (kap'ri-fol,' -fo-li), n. [= 
D. l-amperfoelic = Dan. kaprifolium = F. chi-rrc- 
feuille = it. caprifoglio,<. ML. caprifolium, wood- 
bine, honeysuckle: see caprifolium.] Wood- 
bine; honeysuckle. 
There was a pleasaunt Arber, not by art 
But of the trees owne inclination made, . . 
With wanton yvie twine entrayld athwart, 
And Eglantine and Caprifole emong. 
Spenser, F. Q., III. vi. 44. 
Caprifoliaceae (kap-ri-fo-li-a'se-e), n. pi. [NL., 
< Caprifolium + -acete.] A natural order of 
monopetalous dicotyledons, allied to the Itubi- 
acea?. It includes a number of erect or twining shrubs 
and herbaceous .plants, comprising the honeysuckle, elder, 
viburnum, and snowberry. The characteristics of the 
order are opposite leaves without stipules, an inferior 
ovary, 4 or 5 stamens upon the tube of the regular or 
irregular corolla, and the fruit usually a berry or drupe. 
Many species are cultivated for ornament, but the order 
is otherwise of little value. 
caprifoliaceous (kap-ri-fo-li-a'shius), a. Per- 
taining to the Caprifoliacece. 
caprifolium (kap-ri-fo'li-um), . [ML., wood- 
bine, honeysuckle, lit. 'goat-leaf,' < L. caper 
(capr-), a goat, + folium, leaf: see caper 1 and 
foil 1 . Sometimes erroneously explained as for 
*capparifolium, < L. capparis, caper, + folium, 
leaf, with ref . to the likeness of its leaf to that 
of the caper: see caper 2 .] 1. Woodbine or 
honeysuckle. 2. [ca/>.] A section of the nat- 
ural order Caprifoliace<E, including the trum- 
pet honeysuckle, the yellow honeysuckle, and 
the American woodbine. 
caprifolyt, See caprifole. 
capriform (kap'ri-f orm), a. [< L. caper (capr-), 
a goat, + forma, shape.] Having the form of 
a goat, or of something belonging to a goat; 
goat-like : as, capriform horns. 
caprify (kap'ri-fi), v. t. ; pret. and pp. caprified, 
ppr. caprifyinff. [< ME. caprifien, < F. as if 
"caprijier = Sp. caprihigar = Pg. caprificar, < L. 
caprificare, subject figs to the stinging of the 
gall-insect, < caprificus, the wild fig-tree: see 
caprificus.] To subject to caprification (which 
see). 
In Juyn, as sonne is hiest, to caprifte 
The fig-tree is, that is to signifle 
The figges grene of capriflgtree rende 
With tree made like a sawe on hem suspende. 
Palladiut, Husbondrie (E. E. T. S.), p. 125. 
caprigenous (kap-rij'e-nus), a. [< L. caprige- 
nvs, < caper (capr-), a goat, + -genus, -born: 
see -genous.] Produced by a goat ; belonging 
to the goat kind. 
Caprimulgidae (kap-ri-mul'ji-de), n. pi. [NL., 
< Caprimiilgun + -ida 1 .] A family of fissi- 
rostral cypseliform non-passerine birds, of the 
conventional order Picaria!; the goatsuckers 
or night-jars. They are chiefly of nocturnal or cre- 
puscular habits, have a broad, flattened head, large eyes 
and ears, and a very small bill with deeply cleft rictus 
generally provided with long bristles. They have very 
small feet, frequently of an abnormal number of phalanges, 
the hind toe being short and usually elevated, the front 
toes webbed at the base, and the middle claw usually pec- 
tinate. Their plumage is soft and lax, and the wings and 
tail are variable in development. There are about 14 
genera and upward of 100 species, of the temperate and 
tropical portions of both hemispheres. They are divided 
into 4 subfamilies, Podarrrin<e, Steatornithince, Nyctibii- 
ntK, and Caprimulgince. 
Caprimulginae (kap"ri-mul-ji'ne), n. pi. [NL. , 
<. ('(ijiriiii ulgus + -ina;.] The typical subfamily 
of Caprimulyidte, including the true goatsuck- 
ers and night-jars. These birds are of nocturnal or 
crepuscular habits, insectivorous, and in temperate coun- 
tries migratory ; the young are downy at birth, contrary 
to the rule among Altnces. The Caprimtdgiiux are very 
generally distributed in both hemispheres. Caprimvl- 
mis, the leading genus, is confined to the old world. 
Leading American genera are Nyctidromus, Antrogtonnni, 
and Chordeiles. See cuts under Antrostonnts and ffoat- 
gitcbtr, 
caprimulgine (kap-ri-mul'jin), a. and n. I. a. 
Of or pertaining to the Caprimulgida; or the 
genus Caprimulf/us. 
II. . One of the Caprimulgida;; a bird of 
the goatsucker family. 
