eccentricity

  • 1Eccentricity — may refer to: * Eccentricity (behavior), unusual or odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being normal * Eccentricity (mathematics), a parameter associated with every conic section * Eccentricity vector * Eccentricity (graph theory) …

    Wikipedia

  • 2eccentricity — 1540s, of planetary orbits; 1650s, of persons (an instance of eccentricity); 1794, of persons (a quality of eccentricity); from ECCENTRIC (Cf. eccentric) + ITY (Cf. ity). Related: Eccentricities …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 3eccentricity — eccentricity, idiosyncrasy are not always clearly distinguished when they denote an act, a practice, or a characteristic that impresses the observer as strange or singular. Eccentricity (compare STRANGE) emphasizes the idea of divergence from the …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 4Eccentricity — Ec cen*tric i*ty, n.; pl. {Eccentricities}. [Cf. F. excentricit[ e].] 1. The state of being eccentric; deviation from the customary line of conduct; oddity. [1913 Webster] 2. (Math.) The ratio of the distance between the center and the focus of… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 5eccentricity — index irregularity, nonconformity, quirk (idiosyncrasy), specialty (distinctive mark) Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton …

    Law dictionary

  • 6eccentricity — [n] bizarreness, unusualness aberration, abnormality, anomaly, caprice, capriciousness, foible, freakishness, hereticism, idiocrasy, idiosyncrasy, irregularity, kink, nonconformity, oddity, oddness, outlandishness, peculiarity, queerness, quirk,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 7eccentricity — [ek΄sen tris′ə tē, ek΄səntris′ə tē] n. pl. eccentricities [see ECCENTRIC] 1. the state, quality, or amount of being eccentric 2. a) deviation from what is ordinary or customary, as in conduct or manner; oddity; unconventionality b) an eccentric… …

    English World dictionary

  • 8eccentricity — /ek seuhn tris i tee, ek sen /, n., pl. eccentricities. 1. an oddity or peculiarity, as of conduct: an interesting man, known for his eccentricities. 2. the quality of being eccentric. 3. the amount by which something is eccentric. 4. Mach. the… …

    Universalium

  • 9eccentricity — [[t]e̱ksentrɪ̱sɪti[/t]] eccentricities 1) N UNCOUNT Eccentricity is unusual behaviour that other people consider strange. He was known as Mad Shelley partly because of his eccentricity and partly because of his violent temper... She is unusual to …

    English dictionary

  • 10eccentricity — UK [ˌeksenˈtrɪsətɪ] / US noun Word forms eccentricity : singular eccentricity plural eccentricities a) [uncountable] strange or unusual behaviour Mrs Morton was well known for her eccentricity. b) [countable] an idea, action, or habit that is… …

    English dictionary