quirk
pronunciation
How to pronounce quirk in British English:
UK [kwɜ:k]
How to pronounce quirk in American English:
US [kwɜrk]
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- Noun:
- a strange attitude or habit
- a narrow groove beside a beading
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- Verb:
- twist or curve abruptly
Word Origin
- quirk (n.)
- 1560s, "quibble, evasion," of unknown origin, perhaps connected to German quer (see queer (adj.)) via notion of twisting and slanting; but its earliest appearance in western England dialect seems to argue against this source. Perhaps originally a technical term for a twist or flourish in weaving. Sense of "peculiarity" is c. 1600.
Example
- 1. Still , the practice is not entirely the product of a psychological quirk .
- 2. Perhaps a coworker often annoys you with some minor habit or quirk , which triggers a downward spiral .
- 3. But a quirk in the system could deliver as many as 20 extra " overhang seats " to the cdu , allowing it to form a black-yellow government even if the two parties do not win a majority of the votes that go to the five parties .