Etymologically
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idiosyncrasy

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 15 October 2026 at 03:08. This address is a permanent link to this version.
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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

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