quirk

quirk (kwɜːk)

—n
1.	an individual peculiarity of character; mannerism or foible
2.	an unexpected twist or turn: a quirk of fate
3.	a continuous groove in an architectural moulding
4.	a flourish, as in handwriting

[C16: of unknown origin]

'quirky

—*adj*

'quirkily

—*adv*

'quirkiness

—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

quirk

1560s, "quibble, evasion," of unknown origin, perhaps connected to Ger. quer (see queer) via notion of twisting and slanting; but its earliest appearance in western England dialect seems to argue against this source. Perhaps originally a technical term for a twist or flourish

in weaving. Sense of "peculiarity" is c.1600.

Example sentences

It is said that by some strange quirk of biology, dog owners and their pets

come to resemble each other.

It is a quirk of timing that he should face the scrutiny of a judiciary that so

studiously ignored his predecessors.

How remiss of me and an interesting quirk of academic isolation.

They make a date for later in the evening, but fail to meet due to a quirk of

fate.

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Matching Quote

"It is not however, adulthood itself, but parenthood that forms the glass shroud of memory. For there is an interesting quirk in the memory of women. At 30, women see their adolescence quite clearly. At 30 a woman's adolescence remains a facet fitting into her current self.... At 40, however, memories of adolescence are blurred. Women of this age look much more to their earlier childhood for memories of themselves and of their mothers. This links up to her typical parenting phase."

-Terri Apter