Oddity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɒdɪti/

Definitions

1. A strange, unusual, or peculiar person or thing that deviates noticeably from what is normal or expected
2. An anomaly or peculiarity that is distinctly different from the norm or typical behavior, often drawing curiosity or interest
3. Something or someone markedly different from the usual, attracting attention for uniqueness ; an occurrence or feature that stands out as bizarre or unexpected

Etymology: "Oddity" is a plain English formation: the adjective "odd" with the suffix "-ity" attached. "Odd" itself has a long history in English, going back to Middle English, where it meant a number left over after division, the sense that gives us "odd" numbers. From that idea of something left unpaired or outside the regular pattern came the broader sense of unusual or strange. The suffix does the grammatical work. It comes through Old French "-ite" from Latin "-itas", which turns adjectives into nouns of quality or state, so "odd" becomes a noun naming the condition of being odd. English has used this pattern for centuries, producing words such as "rarity" and "density." The noun in its current sense, meaning a peculiar or anomalous thing rather than the quality itself, developed by extension. The word thus names both the quality of strangeness and the strange object or event that displays it.

Synonyms: anomaly, peculiarity, curiosity, rarity

Antonyms: normality, commonality, regularity