fickle

Etymology 1

From Middle English fikil, fikel, from Old English ficol (“fickle, cunning, tricky, deceitful”), equivalent to fike + -le. More at fike.

adj

1. Quick to change one’s opinion or allegiance; insincere; not loyal or reliable.
   As night has such a local ring / And love and rock are fickle things 2010, James Murphy (lyrics and music), “Home”, in This Is Happening, performed by LCD Soundsystem
2. (figurative) Changeable.
   2014, Paul Salopek, Blessed. Cursed. Claimed., National Geographic (December 2014)https://web.archive.org/web/20150212214621/http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/12/pilgrim-roads/salopek-text To the south, the vast geometrical deserts of Arabian nomads, a redoubt of feral movement, of fickle winds, of open space, of saddle leather—home to the wild Bedouin tribes.

Etymology 2

From Middle English fikelen, from fikel (“fickle”); see above. Cognate with Low German fikkelen (“to deceive, flatter”), German ficklen, ficheln (“to deceive, flatter”).

verb

1. (transitive) To deceive, flatter.
2. (transitive, UK dialectal) To puzzle, perplex, nonplus.