quirk

1 a strange attitude or habit [syn: oddity, queerness, quirkiness, crotchet]

2 a narrow groove beside a beading v : twist or curve abruptly; "She quirked her head in a peculiar way"

English

Etymology

First attested in the 1540s. Of uncertain origin.

Pronunciation

• a RP /kwɜːk/, /kw3:k/
• Rhymes with: -ɜː(r)k

Noun

quirk

1. an idiosyncrasy; a slight glitch, mannerism; something unusual about the manner or style of something or someone

   The car steers cleanly, but the gearshift has a few quirks.

Translations

• Finnish: oikku, omituisuus
• Indonesian: kocak
• Japanese: 歪み (ゆがみ, yugami), 捩れ (ねじれ, nejire), 癖 (くせ, kuse)
• Polish: dziwactwo
• Portuguese: idiossincrasia
• Spanish: idiosincrasia

See also

• quirky

Quirk may refer to

Odd habit

A quirk is an odd habit. Most dictionaries list this word's origin as “unknown”. However, as the surname arises from the Isle of Man in the Irish Sea, and because the island is somewhat notorious for idiosyncratic behaviors, we may find the word's origins there. Many surnames have fluctuated in their pronunciations and, hence, their spellings. Prior to the twentieth century, the most common variant for this “phylum” was Quark.

Family name

• Moira Quirk
• Jamie Quirk
• John Shirley-Quirk
• Lawrence J. Quirk
• Patrick Quirk
• Randolph Quirk, Baron Quirk
• Quirk Books
• Quirks mode

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