oddity

CEFRB2

/ˈɒdɪti/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

01
noun
A person or thing that is unusual or strange.
02
noun
Extra detail
A strange person; an oddball.

Examples

The artist's latest sculpture was a curious oddity.
The strange creature was an oddity in the zoo.

At a glance

Sits at B2 on the CEFR scale

Senses: 3
Parts of speech: 1
Citations: 4
Synonyms: 5

Also pronounced

/-ti/
/-tɪ/

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meaning

An odd or strange thing or opinion.

More examples

In context

The two-headed calf was considered a biological oddity.
An Avonside 0-4-4T with outside cylinders, bought by the S.M.A. in 1882 and scrapped in 1892 as a dismal failure, was one of the motive power oddities (some of them mortgaged).
The thing was unprecedented in his experience, and probably he wondered in his equine way at the eccentricities of the human race, and questioned whether oddity might not be merging into insanity in his master’s case.

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

Among all normal frogs, the one with five legs was a true biological blank.

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Nearby

Citations

The word in print, with each source given in full.

An Avonside 0-4-4T with outside cylinders, bought by the S.M.A. in 1882 and scrapped in 1892 as a dismal failure, was one of the motive power oddities (some of them mortgaged).
1961 October, “Talking of Trains: Last of the M.S.W.J.R.”, in Trains Illustrated, page 586
In the old days, to my commonplace and unobserving mind, he gave no evidences of genius whatsoever. He never read me any of his manuscripts, […], and therefore my lack of detection of his promise may in some degree be pardoned. But he had then none of the oddities and mannerisms which I hold to be inseparable from genius, and which struck my attention in after days when I came in contact with the Celebrity.
1897 December (indicated as 1898), Winston Churchill, chapter I, in The Celebrity: An Episode, New York, N.Y.: The Macmillan Company; London: Macmillan & Co., Ltd., →OCLC, page 1
Fête succeeded fête in honour of the arrival of Christina of Sweden, who seemed to communicate her own reckless love of novelty to the then somewhat staid French court. Claim your privileges as an oddity, and even you yourself will be astonished at their extent.
1834, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], Francesca Carrara. […], volume I, London: Richard Bentley, […], (successor to Henry Colburn), →OCLC, pages 207–208
The thing was unprecedented in his experience, and probably he wondered in his equine way at the eccentricities of the human race, and questioned whether oddity might not be merging into insanity in his master’s case.
1869, E[llen] L. B[iscoe Hollis], “Mr. Wilmington’s Opposition”, in Katharine’s Experience, Boston, Mass.: […] Warren and Blakeslee, […], page 311

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Origin

noun

From odd + -ity.

Deep Dive

noun

More examples

Related

Quick test

Among all normal frogs, the one with five legs was a true biological blank—.

Nearby

Origin

noun

Among all normal frogs, the one with five legs was a true biological blank.