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noun C1 Advanced

quirk

kwurk
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Quirk (noun) means an odd or unusual habit, feature, or trait. Example: “One of his quirks is that he always eats dessert first.”

noun
1
An odd or unusual habit, feature, or trait.
"One of his quirks is that he always eats dessert first."
"The old house has plenty of quirks, like a door that only opens halfway."
verb
1
To twist or move suddenly in an unusual way.
"She quirked an eyebrow, unconvinced by his excuse."

How to use quirk

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA small, unusual habit or feature that sets someone or something apart.

Common pairings
a quirk of fate personality quirk quirk an eyebrow
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Word forms

Plural
quirks
Third person singular
quirks
Past tense
quirked
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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

One of his _____ is that he always eats dessert first.

Etymology

First recorded in the 1540s, its origin is uncertain. It may come from Middle English *querk, which traces to Old Norse kverk, meaning “a bend or angle, especially below a cross-beam or below the chin, the bight of an axe”, also “throat, gullet”, itself from Proto-Germanic *kwerkō (“throat, gullet”), from Proto-Indo-European *gʷerh₃- (“to devour; maw”). It is cognate with Scots querk (“throat”, also “any hollow in the body, such as an armpit, groin, instep, etc.”) and Icelandic kverk (“interior angle”). The word is also partly from dialectal quirk, querk (“a whim, fancy, fuss, huff, complaint”, also “to peevishly grumble, grunt, sigh, croak, die”), from Middle English querken, *quirken (“to choke”), from Old Norse kvirkja (“to choke, strangle”), from the same origin as above. It is related to dialectal querken, quirken (“to choke”), and is likely not related to queer.

Origin: Middle English

Synonyms

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oddity crotchet queerness quirkiness

Related words

hook freak curiosity homosexuality anomaly rarity whim crotchet

Frequently asked questions

What does “quirk” mean?
The word “quirk” means an odd or unusual habit, feature, or trait. In plain terms, a small, unusual habit or feature that sets someone or something apart.
How do you pronounce “quirk”?
“Quirk” is pronounced kwurk (/kwɝk/ in IPA).
How do you use “quirk” in a sentence?
Here is “quirk” used in a sentence: “One of his quirks is that he always eats dessert first.”
What part of speech is “quirk”?
Depending on how it is used, “quirk” can be a noun and a verb.
How many meanings does “quirk” have?
“Quirk” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: an odd or unusual habit, feature, or trait.

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