Vagary
/ˈveɪ.ɡə.ri/noun
An unpredictable or erratic action, course, or idea.
Did you know?Vagary ultimately traces back to the same PIE root as Latin *vagus* “wandering,” which also gave English *vague* and *vagrant*—words built around the eerie idea of being unmoored.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weǵʰ-
“to move, go, or be carried about”
Latin
Latin
vagārī
“to wander about, roam, stray”
Late Latin
Latin
vagāriō
“a wandering or roaming”
16th Century
English
vagary
“a wandering or roaming about; an erratic movement or whim”
Modern English
English
vagary
“an unpredictable or capricious action, idea, or change”