idiosyncrasy

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌɪdɪəʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/, /ˌɪdɪəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (UK); /ˌɪdiəˈsɪŋkɹəsi/, /ˌɪdioʊˈsɪŋkɹəsi/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία (idiosunkrasía, “a peculiar temperament”),^{[2][3][4][5][6]} probably through French idiosyncrasie,^[4][5] from ídios “one's own”^[4][5] and súnkrasis “temperament, mixture”,^[2][4][5] from sun- “together” and krâsis “a mixing”,^[2][5][6] from Proto-Indo-European *kere- (“to mix”).^[5][2] Etymonline points out that it comes from krasis, not kratos, so it is not spelled like words in -cracy.^[5]

Earliest recorded meaning

The physical constitution peculiar to an individual (1604).^[7][3][4]

Semantic evolution

The word was at first medical,^[5][7] and the medical sense survives as an individual's hypersensitivity to a drug or food.^[7][3][2] From 1665 it meant a person's peculiar mental constitution or bent of mind,^[7][4][5] and from 1837–9 a mode of expression peculiar to an author.^[7] In modern use it means loosely any quirk, habit or eccentricity.^[5][3][6]

Timeline

• 1604 – the physical constitution peculiar to an individual.^[7][3][4]
• 1665 – a personal peculiarity of mind.^[7][4]
• a1779 – idiosyncratic.^[4]
• 1837–9 – a mode of expression peculiar to an author.^[7]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. A characteristic, habit or mannerism peculiar to an individual or group; a quirk.
2. A peculiarity of physical or mental constitution or temperament.
3. (medicine) An individual's unusual reaction or hypersensitivity to a food or drug.

Word family

• idiosyncratic
• idiosyncratically

Related words

• idiom
• idiot
• crater

References

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