Idiosyncratic
/ˌɪd.i.ə.sɪnˈkræt.ɪk/noun
Characteristic of a particular person or thing in a way that is unusual or distinctive.
Did you know?Its deeper roots reach Greek idios (“one’s own, private”) and synkrasis (“a mixture”), the same “mixing” idea behind ancient medicine, where temperament was thought to be a literal blend of bodily humors.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
idios
“one’s own, private, personal”
Ancient Greek
Greek
synkrasis
“a mixing together, especially of humors or elements”
Late Greek
Greek
idiosynkrasia
“a particular mixture or constitution of body and temperament”
17th Century
English
idiosyncrasy
“a peculiar constitution or habit belonging to an individual”
19th Century
English
idiosyncratic
“having the character of an idiosyncrasy; peculiarly individual”
Modern English
English
idiosyncratic
“distinctively odd, individual, or peculiar”