quirk

American  

[kwurk] / kwɜrk /

noun

1. a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism.

   He is full of strange quirks.

2. a shift, subterfuge, or evasion; quibble.

3. a sudden twist or turn.

   He lost his money by a quirk of fate.

4. a flourish or showy stroke, as in writing.

5. Architecture.

   1. an acute angle or channel, as one dividing two parts of a molding or one dividing a flush bead from the adjoining surfaces.

   2. an area taken from a larger area, as a room or a plot of ground.

   3. an enclosure for this area.

6. Obsolete. a clever or witty remark; quip.

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adjective

1. formed with a quirk or channel, as a molding.

quirk British  

/ kwɜːk /

noun

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

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Related Words

See eccentricity.

Other Word Forms

• quirkily adverb
• quirkiness noun
• quirky adjective

Etymology

Origin of quirk

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Example Sentences

Just quirked a faint, embarrassed smile and rubbed his hands across his face, as though trying to wake up.

From Literature

“It’s another quirk about the mountain,” she said as she adjusted the blanket on the end of the bed.

From Literature

Chalke: One of the coolest things that helped with the show was Bill would just write to everybody’s strengths or write to their quirks or write to their personalities and weave it in.

From Los Angeles Times

Due to a quirk in an irrevocable trust, it’s all or nothing for him.

From The Wall Street Journal

In a quirk, U.S. exports of gold more than doubled last year to $84 billion.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• aberration
• characteristic
• eccentricity
• foible
• habit
• idiosyncrasy
• kink
• mannerism
• peculiarity
• trait
• twist
• vagary