What does capri mean?
Capri is an adjective used almost entirely in fashion contexts to describe garments cut so that they end around the middle of the calf rather than reaching the ankle. It is overwhelmingly attached to trousers — 'capri pants' being by far the most common phrase — but also appears with leggings, shorts, and similar items. The style takes its name from the Italian island of Capri, where cropped trousers became fashionable in the late 1940s and early 1950s and were soon adopted by designers and film stars, giving the garment an enduring association with warm-weather leisure and European glamour. In American English, 'capris' also functions informally as a plural noun meaning such trousers. Casual and modern in register, the word carries connotations of summer, holidays, and relaxed dress, and it remains a staple term of fashion retail and everyday conversation about clothing.
(Of a garment, especially trousers) cut to end at mid-calf, in the style associated with the island of Capri.
"Her white capri trousers were perfect for the humid afternoon."
Almost always used attributively; rarely predicative.
Chiefly in the plural 'capris': a pair of calf-length trousers.
"She bought two pairs of capris for the beach holiday."
Common chiefly in American English, where 'a pair of capris' is standard retail and informal usage; British English more often uses 'capri trousers'.
"He folded the capris neatly into his suitcase."
Capri pants were born on an Italian holiday island in the late 1940s — and helped put a glamorous Mediterranean isle into wardrobes worldwide.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of capri
The word derives from Capri, the rocky island in the Bay of Naples, whose name was given to the cropped trouser style said to have originated there in the late 1940s. The island's own name is ancient, predating Latin, though folk tradition links it to the Latin capra (goat), which would make it cognate with words such as caprine and Capricorn; this derivation, however, is uncertain. The fashion term entered English in the mid-twentieth century and has remained largely unchanged since.
How capri is actually used
Used almost exclusively attributively before a noun (capri pants, capri leggings); the standalone noun form 'capris' is common in American usage for the garments themselves. Informal, fashion-register vocabulary.
Easily confused with capri
A caper is either a pickled flower bud used in cooking or a playful leap, whereas capri refers to calf-length clothing styled after the island of Capri.