curiosity

B1 Topic:Abstract Ideas

US /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ UK /ˌkjʊə.ɹiˈɒs.ə.ti/ See IPA manual

Freq #5650

Meanings

1

noun
A strong desire to know or learn about something.

Her curiosity led her to read everything she could find on the subject.
2

noun
An unusual or interesting object that attracts attention.

The old shop was full of curiosities from around the world.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · a strong desire to know or... inquisitiveness wonder

2 noun · an unusual or interesting... curio

Word family

Forms curiosities

Derived forms bi-curiositycuriouncuriosity

Related forms curious

Appears in

Phrases (2)

See all

Proverbs (1)

See all

curiosity killed the cat
asking too many questions can lead to trouble

Etymology

From Middle English curiosite, variant of curiouste, from Anglo-Norman curiouseté, from Latin cūriōsitātem, accusative of cūriōsitās. By surface analysis, curious + -ity. Displaced native Old English firwitt.

curiosite Middle English curiouseté xno cūriōsitātem Latin

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Topics

Abstract Ideas

External links

# curiosity

**Type:** Word
**Level:** B1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/
**IPA (UK):** /ˌkjʊə.ɹiˈɒs.ə.ti/
**Frequency rank:** 5650

## Meanings
1. A strong desire to know or learn about something.
2. An unusual or interesting object that attracts attention.

## Examples
- Her curiosity led her to read everything she could find on the subject.
- The old shop was full of curiosities from around the world.

## Derived Forms
- bi-curiosity
- curio
- uncuriosity

## Related Forms
- curious

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: curiosite
- Root: curiouseté
- Root: cūriōsitātem
- Affix: -ity - state

## Etymology
From Middle English curiosite, variant of curiouste, from Anglo-Norman curiouseté, from Latin cūriōsitātem, accusative of cūriōsitās. By surface analysis, curious + -ity. Displaced native Old English firwitt.

## AI Etymology
curiosity comes from Middle English curiosite, variant of curiouste, from Anglo-Norman curiouseté, from Latin cūriōsitātem, accusative of cūriōsitās. By surface analysis, curious + -ity. Displaced native Old English firwitt. The historical chain includes Middle English curiosite, xno curiouseté, Latin cūriōsitātem. Current senses include A strong desire to know or learn about something and An unusual or interesting object that attracts attention. English relatives and later formations include bi-curiosity, curio, uncuriosity, curious.

## Topics
- Abstract Ideas

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