What does caprioled mean?
Caprioled is the past tense of capriole, a verb meaning to make a playful leap or bound, evoking the friskiness of a young goat. Its most precise modern use belongs to classical horsemanship: in dressage schools such as those of the Spanish Riding School, a horse is said to have caprioled when it launches into the air and strikes out with both hind legs, one of the celebrated airs above the ground. Beyond the riding arena the word appears mostly in literary or descriptive prose, where writers use it to lend liveliness to accounts of animals—lambs, foals, deer—frolicking about. Derived ultimately from the Latin caper, meaning goat, the word carries connotations of youthful energy and exuberance. It remains rare today, but for anyone writing about horses, dance-like movement, or spirited animal behavior, it offers a vivid and historically grounded alternative to plainer verbs such as leapt or bounded.
verb (past tense and past participle of 'capriole')Leapt or bounded playfully, like a young goat; also, in horsemanship, performed a capriole—a leap in which the horse kicks out backward with its hind legs.
- (of an animal, especially a horse) Performed a playful leap or bound; in horsemanship, executed a capriole, the high leap with a backward kick of the hind legs.
- (of a person, figurative or archaic) Moved about in lively, frolicsome leaps.
"The colt caprioled across the paddock, kicking up its heels in the morning light."
"The Lipizzaner caprioled flawlessly during the gala performance."
"Lambs caprioled across the hillside as spring finally arrived."
When your horse caprioles, it jumps straight into the air and kicks both hind legs out behind it—one of the most spectacular moves in classical dressage.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of caprioled
The word derives from the Italian noun capriola, itself from the late Latin capriola, a diminutive of caper (goat), so the original image is of a kid's skipping jump. The term entered English in the sixteenth century, initially referring both to a playful leap and to a figure in dancing before becoming established as a technical term in horsemanship. It shares its root with caper, caprice, cabriole, and caprine, all tracing back to the same goat-derived Latin stem.
Related word forms
How caprioled is actually used
Rare outside equestrian contexts; the base form 'capriole' is more commonly encountered than its inflected forms. In dressage usage the word is technical; in general use it carries a playful, literary flavor.
Easily confused with caprioled
'Capered' means leapt playfully from Latin caper (goat) via the noun 'caper,' while 'caprioled' comes through Italian capriola and can also refer specifically to a dressage leap executed by a horse.