idiosyncrasy

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   An unusual habit or feature that is typical of one particular person.

   Tapping his pen while thinking was one of his many idiosyncrasies.

2. 2
   noun

   A distinctive or peculiar feature of something.

   He mastered the idiosyncrasies of English spelling.

3. 3
   noun

   An unusual physical reaction that affects only certain individuals.

   A rare idiosyncrasy made her allergic to a normally harmless medicine.

First attested in 1604, in modern sense since 1665, from Ancient Greek ἰδιοσυγκρασία (idiosunkrasía, “one’s own temperament”), from ἴδιος (ídios, “one’s own”) + σύν (sún, “together”) + κρᾶσις (krâsis, “temperament”). By surface analysis, idio- + syn- + -crasy.

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