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exotic

 - 3 dictionary results

ex⋅ot⋅ic

  [ig-zot-ik]
–adjective
1. of foreign origin or character; not native; introduced from abroad, but not fully naturalized or acclimatized: exotic foods; exotic plants.
2. strikingly unusual or strange in effect or appearance: an exotic hairstyle.
3. of a uniquely new or experimental nature: exotic weapons.
4. of, pertaining to, or involving stripteasing: the exotic clubs where strippers are featured.
–noun
5. something that is exotic: The flower show included several tropical exotics with showy blooms.
6. an exotic dancer; stripper.
Use exotic in a Sentence
Origin:
1590–1600; < L exōticus < Gk exōtikós foreign. See exo-, -tic

Related forms:
ex⋅ot⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb
ex⋅ot⋅ic⋅ness, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010.
Cite This Source Link To exotic
ex·ot·ic   (ĭg-zŏt'ĭk)   
adj.  

  1. From another part of the world; foreign: exotic tropical plants in a greenhouse. See Synonyms at foreign.

  2. Intriguingly unusual or different; excitingly strange: "If something can be explained simply, in a familiar way, then it is best to avoid more exotic explanations" (Chet Raymo). See Synonyms at fantastic.

  3. Of or involving striptease: an exotic dancer.

n.  

  1. One that is exotic.

  2. A striptease performer.


[Latin exōticus, from Greek exōtikos, from exō, outside; see exo-.]
ex·ot'i·cal·ly adv., ex·ot'ic·ness n.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

exotic 
1599, "belonging to another country," from L. exoticus, from Gk. exotikos "foreign," lit. "from the outside," from exo- "outside," from ex "out of." Sense of "unusual, strange" first recorded in Eng. 1629, from notion of "alien, outlandish." In reference to strip-teasers and dancing girls, it is first attested 1954, Amer.Eng.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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