The word for today is…

capricious (adjective) –

governed or characterized by caprice : impulsive, unpredictable

Source : Merriam -Webster

Etymology : The noun caprice, which first appeared in English in the mid-17th century, is a synonym of whim. Evidence shows that the adjective capricious debuted about sixty years before caprice; it’s likely, however, that both words derived via French from the Italian capriccio, which originally referred not to a sudden desire but to a sudden shudder of fear. Capriccio in turn derives from the Italian capo, meaning “head,” and riccio, the word for “hedgehog.” Someone who shuddered in fear, therefore, was said to have a “hedgehog head”-meaning that his or her hair stood on end like the spines of a hedgehog.

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David is a retired surgeon originally from London who came to New Zealand twenty-seven years ago after being delayed in Singapore for thirteen years on leaving the UK. He was coerced into studying Latin...