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idiosyncrasy - 6 dictionary results

id⋅i⋅o⋅syn⋅cra⋅sy

  [id-ee-uh-sing-kruh-see, -sin-]
Use idiosyncrasy in a Sentence
–noun, plural -sies.
1. a characteristic, habit, mannerism, or the like, that is peculiar to an individual.
2. the physical constitution peculiar to an individual.
3. a peculiarity of the physical or the mental constitution, esp. susceptibility toward drugs, food, etc. Compare allergy (def. 1).
Also, idiocrasy.

Origin:
1595–1605; < Gk idiosynkrāsía, equiv. to idio- idio- + syn- syn- + krâs(is) a blending + -ia -y 3

Related forms:
id⋅i⋅o⋅syn⋅crat⋅ic  [id-ee-oh-sin-krat-ik, -sing-] , adjective
id⋅i⋅o⋅syn⋅crat⋅i⋅cal⋅ly, adverb

Synonyms:
1. peculiarity, quirk. See eccentricity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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id·i·o·syn·cra·sy   (ĭd'ē-ō-sĭng'krə-sē)   
n.   pl. id·i·o·syn·cra·sies
  1. A structural or behavioral characteristic peculiar to an individual or group.
  2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.
  3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.

[Greek idiosunkrāsiā : idio-, idio- + sunkrāsis, mixture, temperament (sun-, syn- + krāsis, a mixing; see kerə- in Indo-European roots).]
id'i·o·syn·crat'ic (-sĭn-krāt'ĭk) adj., id'i·o·syn·crat'i·cal·ly adv.
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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Idiosyncrasy

Id`i*o*syn"cra*sy\, n.; pl. Idiosyncrasies. [Gr. ?; ? proper, peculiar + ? a mixing together, fr. ? to mix together; ? with + ? to mix: cf. F. idiosyncrasie. See Idiom, and Crasis.] A peculiarity of physical or mental constitution or temperament; a characteristic belonging to, and distinguishing, an individual; characteristic susceptibility; idiocrasy; eccentricity.

The individual mind . . . takes its tone from the idiosyncrasies of the body. --I. Taylor.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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idiosyncrasy 
1604, from Fr. idiosyncrasie, from Gk. idiosynkrasia "a peculiar temperament," from idios "one's own" (see idiom) + synkrasis "temperament, mixture of personal characteristics," from syn "together" + krasis "mixture." Originally in Eng. a medical term meaning "physical constitution of an individual." Mental sense first attested 1665.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Main Entry: id·io·syn·cra·sy
Pronunciation: "id-E-&-'si[ng]-kr&-sE
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural -sies
1 : a peculiarity of physical or mental constitution or temperament
2 : individual hypersensitiveness (as to a drug or food) idiosyncrasy>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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idiosyncrasy id·i·o·syn·cra·sy (ĭd'ē-ō-sĭng'krə-sē)
n.

  1. A structural or behavioral trait peculiar to an individual or a group.
  2. A physiological or temperamental peculiarity.
  3. An unusual individual reaction to food or a drug.
id'i·o·syn·crat'ic (-sĭn-krāt'ĭk) adj.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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