caper

Etymology 1

Clipping of capriole.

noun

1. A playful leap or jump.
2. A jump while dancing.
3. A prank or practical joke.
4. (usually in the plural) Playful behaviour.
5. (figurative) A crime, especially an elaborate heist, or a narrative about such a crime.
   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? 2022, Jennifer Egan, “i, the Protagonist”, in The Candy House

verb

1. To leap or jump about in a sprightly or playful manner.
2. To jump as part of a dance.
3. To engage in playful behaviour.

Etymology 2

From Dutch kaper.

noun

1. A vessel formerly used by the Dutch; privateer.

Etymology 3

From Latin capparis, from Ancient Greek κάππαρις (kápparis).

noun

1. The pungent grayish green flower bud of the European and Oriental caper (Capparis spinosa), which is pickled and eaten.
2. A plant of the genus Capparis.

Etymology 4

Shortening of capercaillie.

noun

1. (Scotland) The capercaillie.