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anomaly

[ uh-nom-uh-lee ]
/ əˈnɒm ə li /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR anomaly ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural a·nom·a·lies.

RELATED WORDS

deviation, abnormality, oddity, aberration, rarity, irregularity, inconsistency, exception, incongruity, departure, peculiarity, eccentricity, unorthodoxy, unconformity

Nearby words

  1. anomalous complex,
  2. anomalous correspondence,
  3. anomalous dispersion,
  4. anomalous monism,
  5. anomalous zeeman effect,
  6. anomer,
  7. anomia,
  8. anomic,
  9. anomie,
  10. anomite

Origin of anomaly

1565–75; < Latin anōmalia < Greek anōmalía, equivalent to anṓmal(os) anomalous + -ia -ia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for anomalies

British Dictionary definitions for anomalies

anomaly

/ (əˈnɒməlɪ) /

noun plural -lies

something anomalous
deviation from the normal or usual order, type, etc; irregularity
astronomy
  1. Also called: true anomaly the angle between a planet, the sun, and the previous perihelion of the planet
  2. Also called: eccentric anomaly the angle between the periapsis of a particular point on a circle round the orbit as seen from the centre of the orbit. This point is obtained by producing a perpendicular to the major axis of the ellipse through the orbiting body until it reaches the circumference of the circle
  3. Also called: mean anomaly the angle between the periapsis of an orbit and the position of an imaginary body orbiting at a constant angular speed and in the same period as the real orbiting body
geology
  1. Also called: gravity anomaly a deviation from the normal value of gravity at the earth's surface, caused by density differences at depth, for example those caused by a buried mineral body
  2. Also called: magnetic anomaly a magnetic field, for example one produced by a buried mineral body, that deviates from an expected or standard value, usually that of the earth's magnetic field
Derived Formsanomalistic, adjectiveanomalistically, adverb
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for anomalies

anomaly

n.

1570s, from Latin anomalia, from Greek anomalia "inequality," noun of quality from anomalos "uneven, irregular," from an-, privative prefix, "not" (see an- (1)) + homalos "even," from homos "same" (see same).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Medicine definitions for anomalies

anomaly

[ ə-nŏm′ə-lē ]

n.

A deviation from the average or norm.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.