cu·ri·os·i·ty

[kyoor-ee-os-i-tee]
noun, plural cu·ri·os·i·ties.
1.
the desire to learn or know about anything; inquisitiveness.
2.
a curious, rare, or novel thing.
3.
a strange, curious, or interesting quality.
4.
Archaic. carefulness; fastidiousness.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English curiosite (< Anglo-French) < Latin cūriōsitās. See curious, -ity

non·cu·ri·os·i·ty, noun
o·ver·cu·ri·os·i·ty, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To curiosity
00:10
Curiosity is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
a calculus or concretion found in the stomach or intestines of certain animals, esp. ruminants, formerly reputed to be an effective remedy for poison.
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
Collins
World English Dictionary
curiosity (ˌkjʊərɪˈɒsɪtɪ) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
n , pl -ties
1.  an eager desire to know; inquisitiveness
2.  a.  the quality of being curious; strangeness
 b.  (as modifier): the ring had curiosity value only
3.  something strange or fascinating
4.  a rare or strange object; curio
5.  obsolete fastidiousness

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

curiosity
late 14c., "careful attention to detail," also "desire to know or learn" (originally usually in a bad sense), from O.Fr. curiosité, from L. curiositatem, from curiosus (see curious). Neutral or good sense is from early 17c. Meaning "an object of interest" is from 1640s.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
Among their shared characteristics are the desire to excel and an inherent
  curiosity about geography and the world around them.
The condors proved to have great curiosity, but no caution at all.
The exceptions are those who have curiosity and want answers to unanswered
  questions.
Curiosity more over peer pressure is the cause of first time drug use.
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