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English Dictionary - With Multi-Lingual Search
| May 20, 2009 |
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| Word of the Week--"Idiosyncrasy" |
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Definition--Idiosyncrasy-- n. A personal characteristic or behavior that is peculiar or out of the ordinary.
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| Discussion--A person with an idiosyncrasy is someone who either acts peculiarly or possesses some
quirky characteristic, mental or physical. For instance, former Premier of what was then the Soviet Union, Mikeal Gorbechav, has a birthmark on his forehead.
He is easily recognizable by this idiosyncrasy. Someone who possesses a behavioral idiosyncrasy is Leo Mazzone, the pitching coach for the Atlanta Braves professional team. During the game Mazzone can be seen in the dugout rocking back and forth in a nervous fashion. He keeps this up for the entire nine innings!
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| Etymology--Idiosyncrasy- from the Greek idiosynkrasia (idios, one's own + synkrasis, temperament).
It is interesting to note that the Italian and Spanish translations are identical, and French is quite similar as well. |
Foreign Translations |
| Dutch: | eigenaardigheid, de bijzondere trek (de) |
| French: | idiosyncrasie (f), caractéristique (f) |
| German: | Eigenart (f) |
| Italian: | idiosincrasia |
| Spanish: | idiosincrasia |
