bizarre

Pronunciation

• IPA: /bɪˈzɑː(ɹ)/ (UK); /bɪˈzɑɹ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from French bizarre (“odd, fantastic”),^[2][3][4][5] from Italian bizzarro (“angry, irascible”).^[3][4][5][6] Etymonline derives the Italian word from bizza “a fit of anger”;^[5] Random House calls its origin disputed.^[6] The American Heritage Dictionary gives an older derivation through Spanish bizarro “brave” from Basque bizar “beard”,^[2] which Etymonline says is no longer considered tenable.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

Departing from accepted taste or ordinary style; eccentric, whimsical (before 1648).^[7][4][3]

Semantic evolution

In Italian the word moved from “irascible” to “unpredictable, eccentric” and then “strange”, and it was in this last sense that French and English took it.^[5] French once also had the sense “brave”, from the Spanish word.^[4] In gardening, bizarre names a flower with irregular coloured stripes, such as a tulip or carnation (1753).^[7][3]

Timeline

• before 1648 – eccentric, extravagant, strange.^[7][4][3]
• 1753 – in horticulture, of variegated flowers; also as a noun.^[7][3]
• 1824 – grotesque, irregular in form.^[7]

Modern meaning

Adjective

1. Strikingly odd or unconventional, often in a fantastic or incongruous way.

Noun

1. A flower with unusual striped markings.

Word family

• bizarrely
• bizarreness
• bizarrerie

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d e Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
5. ^ a b c d e Harper, Douglas, Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
6. ^ a b Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press