curiosity
UK /ˌkjʊə.ɹiˈɒs.ɪ.ti/ · US /ˌkjʊɹ.iˈɑ.sə.ti/ noun
Forms curiosities
- noun (uncountable) Inquisitiveness; the tendency to ask and learn about things by asking questions, investigating, or exploring.
- noun A unique or extraordinary object which arouses interest. “He put the strangely shaped rock in his curiosity cabinet.”
- noun (obsolete) Careful, delicate construction; fine workmanship, delicacy of building.
Synonyms
inquisitiveness wonder curio oddity oddment peculiarity rarity
Antonyms
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.
Webster’s 1913
- noun The state or quality or being curious; nicety; accuracy; exactness; elaboration. [Obs.] Bacon.
- noun Disposition to inquire, investigate, or seek after knowledge; a desire to gratify the mind with new information or objects of interest; inquisitiveness. Milton.
Etymology [OE. curiouste, curiosite, OF. curioseté, curiosité, F. curiosit, fr. L. curiositas, fr. curiosus. See Currious, and cf. Curio.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “curiosity”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details