Capri pants are pants that are longer than shorts, but are not as long as trousers. Capri pants can be a generic term for any cropped slim pants, and also used as a specific term to refer to pants that end on the ankle bone.
Capri pants
Model Erni Mangold wearing Sonja de Lennart Capris, 1949
Model Mady Rahl wearing Sonja de Lennart Capris, 1949
Male in cropped jeans (man-pris) (Stevenage, 2009)
Shorts are a garment worn over the pelvic area, circling the waist and splitting to cover the upper part of the legs, sometimes extending down to the knees but not covering the entire length of the leg. They are called "shorts" because they are a shortened version of trousers, which cover the entire leg, but not the foot. Shorts are typically worn in warm weather or in an environment where comfort and airflow are more important than the protection of the legs.
Two people wearing shorts (Argentina, 2011)
Man in bermuda shorts
Woman in bermuda shorts, 1952
Wrestler John Quinlan in boxing shorts (2010)