quirk

[kwurk]

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.

adjective

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

quirk

/ 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

Other Word Forms

• quirkily adverb
• quirkiness noun
• quirky adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of quirk¹

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain

Word History and Origins

Origin of quirk¹

C16: of unknown origin

Synonym Study

See eccentricity.

Example Sentences

She exhibits a collection of quirks familiar to anyone vaguely acquainted with the sitcom genre.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Major League Baseball is filled with arcane statistics and historical quirks, but as this season barrels toward the playoffs one stat almost defies belief.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

That killer quirk also made its way into “The Texas Chain Saw Massacre,” which sees the chainsaw-wielding Leatherface sporting a mask made of human flesh.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

But there are hippie-ish artist quirks if you start to look closer.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Every fighter jet has its quirks and the MiG‑21 was no exception - fast descents and even high-speed stalls were part of its character, according to Air Marshal Bhatia.

Read more on BBC

Related Words

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