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definitions

quirk

[kwurk]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quirk ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

adjective

formed with a quirk or channel, as a molding.

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RELATED WORDS

twist, vagary, habit, trait, aberration, kink, characteristic, peculiarity, mannerism, idiosyncrasy, eccentricity, foible, whim, humor, crotchet, conceit, whimsy, fancy, caprice, turn

Origin of quirk

First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertain
Can be confusedquark quirk

Synonyms for quirk

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR quirk ON THESAURUS.COM
1. See eccentricity.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for quirk

Contemporary Examples of quirk

Historical Examples of quirk

  • There was the quirk in her brain; we all have a quirk somewhere, and that was hers.

  • I've thought of every possibility, every possible crook and quirk of this business.

    No Clue

    James Hay

  • Prove that, Mr. Quirk, and you need trouble yourself no more!

  • I've had very little to do with them; Quirk, Gammon, and Snap—these are the people, eh?

  • Through his thoughts a quirk of memory ran like a tongue of flame.

    Cytherea

    Joseph Hergesheimer

British Dictionary definitions for quirk

quirk

noun

an individual peculiarity of character; mannerism or foible
an unexpected twist or turna quirk of fate
a continuous groove in an architectural moulding
a flourish, as in handwriting
Derived Formsquirky, adjectivequirkily, adverbquirkiness, noun

Word Origin for quirk

C16: of unknown origin
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 quirk
n.

1560s, "quibble, evasion," of unknown origin, perhaps connected to German quer (see queer (adj.)) 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.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper