Today, we’re rolling head first into the fascinating world of one of the most acrobatic words in the Italian language: capriola. Calling to mind childhood summers spent somersaulting on the grass and daring circus acts that leave us in awe, the word itself seems to tumble off our tongues!
Capriola is a feminine noun whose plural form is capriole. It derives from the Latin capreŏla, which is the diminutive form of capra, the word for goat in both Latin and modern day Italian. (And speaking of animals, capriola is also the feminine form of capriolo, the word for roe deer in Italian.)
Here are the definite and indefinite articles you need to use with this word:
- la capriola = the somersault
- le capriole = the somersaults
- una capriola = a somersault
- (delle) capriole = (some) somersaults
Mi insegni a fare le capriole?
Can you teach me how to do somersaults?
By extension, it can also work as a synonym for a generic salto (jump) or a clumsy capitombolo (tumble).
Sta facendo le capriole dalla gioia.
He’s so happy he is jumping.
Stai attento, o farai una bella capriola giù per le scale!
Be careful, or you’ll take a tumble down the stairs!
Note that capriola is also used to denote a mid-air flip in gymnastics, not just a roll on the ground.
In the political sphere, the expression fare una capriola (to do a somersault) can refer to a complete and sudden change in opinion or policy, much like the expression make an about-turn in English.
Capriola also denotes a movement performed in classical riding, in which the horse leaps and kicks out with its hind legs, as well as a dance move that involves jumping into the air, extending one leg straight out while the other leg is brought up to meet it mid-air before landing gracefully.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
