Make Your Point > Archived Issues > ECCENTRICITY
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pronounce
ECCENTRICITY:
Say it "ECK sen TRISS ih tee."
To hear it, click here.
connect this word to others:
The word eccentricity joins our list of celestial metaphors: words that conjure up images of suns, stars, moons, and planets.
See how many you can recall:
1. Originally the point directly beneath the sun, the n___r of something is the lowest point, the worst part.
2. Originally the point in the sky directly overhead, the z___th of something is the highest point, the best part.
3. Something m_____ic reminds you of a shooting star because it's amazing or because it comes and goes suddenly.
4. A lu_____y is a brilliant person who's so wonderful that they remind you of a shining sun or a gleaming moon.
5. To be si___ated is to be filled with a sudden strong emotion, like fear, confusion, or amazement--as if you've been smacked with an entire planet.
(To reveal any word with blanks, give it a click.)
definition:
The word "eccentric" comes through Latin, but it has Greek roots that mean "out of the center."
Originally, an eccentric circle was one that didn't have the same center as some other particular circle. And an eccentric orbit was one that didn't have some particular thing in its exact center, like the sun or the earth.
(Still speaking literally, "eccentric" is the opposite of "concentric." Concentric circles do have the same centers, and concentric orbits do have some particular thing at their exact center.)
From there, "eccentric" grew to mean "not in the center," "not circular," "not having much in common."
And from there, it grew to mean "odd, weird, quirky, irregular." That's the meaning we use most often today. Eccentric people, also called eccentrics, are odd, weird, and quirky: they have bizarre little habits that freak us out or fascinate us.
So, an eccentricity is an odd, weird thing that someone does, usually by habit.
And, eccentricity is oddness or weirdness, especially in people's habits.
grammatical bits:
Part of speech:
It's a noun, both the countable kind ("his many eccentricities") and the uncountable kind ("I just love his eccentricity").
Other common forms:
eccentric, eccentrics, eccentricities, eccentrically
how to use it:
We often use this word in a fun, lighthearted way. Although you might be criticizing someone by referring to their eccentricity, it's more likely that you're expressing how amusing or interesting it is.
Talk about someone's eccentricity, or the eccentricity of some person, group, product, performance, company, work of art or literature, etc.
Notice that the word "eccentricity" can be both a broad quality ("Her eccentricity fascinates me") as well as an individual habit ("Her eccentricities fascinate me").
examples:
"She inherited her eccentricity from her father, an inventor whose proudest creations were disposable galoshes and goggles to protect the eyes from TV rays."
— Ed Pilkington, The Guardian, 13 July 2019
"In previous books, Horowitz has focused on dogs’ extraordinary sense of smell and other aspects of canine biology. Here, she looks at their relationship to people, with a fond eye for human eccentricity."
— Review in the New York Times of Alexandra Horowitz's book Our Dogs, Ourselves: The Story of a Singular Bond, 3 September 2019
has this page helped you understand "eccentricity"?
study it:
Explain the meaning of "eccentricity" without saying "quirk" or "weird habit."
try it out:
Writing for the New York Times, John Leland described how the journalist Phyllis Funke had stuffed her apartment to capacity with objects:
"She acquired stuff on her travels and put it in her apartment, and acquired research materials for future trips and put these in her apartment as well. She bought scuba gear from the shop next door. She bought yarn for knitting. In 2004, the building moved to evict her for hoarding, but her parents helped her tidy up. Bill Lambrecht, 81, a neighbor and friend for more than 30 years, dismissed her clutter as a harmless eccentricity."
A friend saw her clutter as an eccentricity. But the building authorities saw it as a reason to kick her out.
Where would you draw the line between an eccentric collection and a crippling hoard? And, can you talk about some other behaviors that might seem insane to one person but merely eccentric to someone else?
before you review, play:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
Rhyming Puzzles!
I give you a description of something, and you name it in a rhyming phrase. For example, if I say, "This is an ideal environment for a large tree-dwelling lizard--one in which this creature is perfectly happy and peaceful," then you say, "That's iguana nirvana."
The answers will get longer and sillier as the month goes on. If you'd like to see the clue, click or mouse-over the link. I'll share each answer the following day. Enjoy!
From the previous issue: Your cousin is addicted to hummus and falafel. She's known for getting "drunk" on these foods, then making very sharp, mean comments to everyone. This cousin is a _________ ________-_____. (Two words. The first word has four syllables. To create the second word, use a two-syllable noun, a hyphen, and a two-syllable suffix. Clue: use this word.)
Answer: vitriolic chickpea-holic.
Try this one today:
When your eccentric friend who loves movies from the 1930's writes you emails, he appends the word "see" to the end of every sentence, imitating a gangster. He writes things like, "When one man's gonna run this town, I'll be him, see?" As funny as it is for you to read his emails with these "see"s all over the place, it's even funnier to hear him do it out loud, in person.
You're amused by the sheer uselessness and pointlessness of each "see," spoken aloud: by your friend's ______ "see" ____ ____.
(Two words, followed by a two-word phrase. The first word has three syllables. The second word is "see," in quotation marks. And each word in the final two-word phrase has two syllables. Clue: here's the two-word phrase. You'll also use another Make Your Point word.)
review this word:
1. The opposite of ECCENTRICITY is
A. DEFINITION.
B. NORMALITY.
C. PERSONALITY.
2. Austin cherishes its eccentricities, like _____.
A. its status as an official Clean Air City
B. the beautiful skyline seen from Lady Bird Lake
C. the faerie and gnome villages at the botanical park
a final word:
I hope you're enjoying Make Your Point. It's made with love.
I'm Liesl Johnson, a reading and writing tutor on a mission to explore, illuminate, and celebrate words.
From my blog:
36 ways to study words.
Why we forget words, & how to remember them.
How to use sophisticated words without being awkward.
To be a sponsor and include your ad in an issue, please contact me at Liesl@HiloTutor.com.
Disclaimer: When I write definitions, I use plain language and stick to the words' common, useful applications. If you're interested in authoritative and multiple definitions of words, I encourage you to check a dictionary. Also, because I'm American, I stick to American English when I share words' meanings, usage, and pronunciations; these elements sometimes vary across world Englishes.
The word eccentricity joins our list of celestial metaphors: words that conjure up images of suns, stars, moons, and planets. The word "eccentric" comes through Latin, but it has Greek roots that mean "out of the center."
Part of speech:
We often use this word in a fun, lighthearted way. Although you might be criticizing someone by referring to their eccentricity, it's more likely that you're expressing how amusing or interesting it is.
"She inherited her eccentricity from her father, an inventor whose proudest creations were disposable galoshes and goggles to protect the eyes from TV rays."
Explain the meaning of "eccentricity" without saying "quirk" or "weird habit."
Writing for the New York Times, John Leland described how the journalist Phyllis Funke had stuffed her apartment to capacity with objects:
Spend 20 seconds or more on the game below. Don’t skip straight to the review—let your working memory empty out first.
1. The opposite of ECCENTRICITY is
|