vagary
[ vuh-gair-ee, vey-guh-ree ]
/ vəˈgɛər i, ˈveɪ gə ri /
noun, plural va·gar·ies.
an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, course, or instance: the vagaries of weather; the vagaries of the economic scene.
a whimsical, wild, or unusual idea, desire, or action.
Nearby words
vagal attack, vagal block, vagal trunk, vagarious, vagariously, vagary, vagile, vagility, vagin-, vagina, vaginal
Origin of vagary
1565–75, in sense “wandering journey”; apparently < Latin vagārī to wander
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019
Examples from the Web for vagary
British Dictionary definitions for vagary
vagary
/ (ˈveɪɡərɪ, vəˈɡɛərɪ) /
noun plural -garies
an erratic or outlandish notion or action; whim
Word Origin for vagary
C16: probably from Latin vagārī to roam; compare Latin vagus vague
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
Word Origin and History for vagary
vagary
1570s, "a wandering, a roaming journey," probably from Latin vagari "to wander, roam, be unsettled, spread abroad," from vagus "roving, wandering" (see vague). Current meaning of "eccentric notion or conduct" (1620s) is from notion of mental wandering. Related: Vagaries.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper