Playful, fanciful, or lighthearted quality or behavior, often surprising and without serious purpose.
From the word 'whim' (a sudden, capricious desire) with the suffix '-y' (indicating a quality or condition). The word 'whim' itself has unclear origins but may be related to Scandinavian words. The sense of capricious playfulness has remained consistent since the 16th century.
Whimsy is a fundamentally human trait that makes us creative and surprising—unlike most animals that follow predictable patterns, humans pursue ideas 'just because' and create art, jokes, and stories for the sheer pleasure of it. In a world obsessed with efficiency, whimsy might be one of our most valuable superpowers.
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