Dictionary.com

capriole

[ kap-ree-ohl ]
/ ˈkæp riˌoʊl /
Save This Word!

noun
a caper or leap.
Manège. a movement in which the horse jumps up with its forelegs well drawn in, kicks out with its hind legs in a horizontal position in the air, and then lands again on the same spot.
verb (used without object), cap·ri·oled, cap·ri·ol·ing.
to execute a capriole.
QUIZ
THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?
Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.
Question 1 of 7
In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

Origin of capriole

1570–80; <Middle French <Italian capriola, noun derivative of capriolare to leap, caper, verbal derivative of capri(u)olo roebuck <Latin capreolus, equivalent to capre(a) roe deer (derivative of caper male goat; cf. caper1) + -olus-ole1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use capriole in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for capriole

capriole
/ (ˈkæprɪˌəʊl) /

noun
dressage a high upward but not forward leap made by a horse with all four feet off the ground
dancing a leap from bent knees
verb
(intr) to perform a capriole

Word Origin for capriole

C16: from French, from Old Italian capriola, from capriolo roebuck, from Latin capreolus, caper goat
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK