QUIRK

quirk

(noun) a narrow groove beside a beading

oddity, queerness, quirk, quirkiness, crotchet

(noun) a strange attitude or habit

quirk

(verb) twist or curve abruptly; “She quirked her head in a peculiar way”

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

First attested in the 1540s. Of uncertain origin.

Noun

quirk (plural quirks)

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

(architecture) An acute angle dividing a molding; a groove that runs lengthwise between the upper part of a moulding and a soffit

(archaic) A quibble, evasion, or subterfuge.

Verb

quirk (third-person singular simple present quirks, present participle quirking, simple past and past participle quirked)

(ambitransitive) To move with a wry jerk.

(transitive, architecture) To furnish with a quirk or channel.

(intransitive, archaic) To use verbal tricks or quibbles

Proper noun

Quirk

A surname.

Source: Wiktionary


Quirk, n. [Written also querk.] Etym: [Cf W. chwiori to turn briskly, or E. queer.]

1. A sudden turn; a starting from the point or line; hence, an artful evasion or subterfuge; a shift; a quibble; as, the quirks of a pettifogger. "Some quirk or . . . evasion." Spenser. We ground the justification of our nonconformity on dark subtilties and intricate quirks. Barrow.

2. A fit or turn; a short paroxysm; a caprice. [Obs.] "Quirks of joy and grief." Shak.

3. A smart retort; a quibble; a shallow conceit. Some odd quirks and remnants of wit. Shak.

4. An irregular air; as, light quirks of music. Pope.

5. (Building)

Definition: A piece of ground taken out of any regular ground plot or floor, so as to make a court, yard, etc.; -- sometimes written quink. Gwilt.

6. (Arch.)

Definition: A small channel, deeply recessed in proportion to its width, used to insulate and give relief to a convex rounded molding. Quirk molding, a bead between two quirks.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

4 April 2025

GUILLOTINE

(verb) kill by cutting the head off with a guillotine; “The French guillotined many Vietnamese while they occupied the country”


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Coffee Trivia

There are four varieties of commercially viable coffee: Arabica, Liberica, Excelsa, and Robusta. Growers predominantly plant the Arabica species. Although less popular, Robusta tastes slightly more bitter and contains more caffeine.

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