The Collaborative International Dictionary
Idiosyncrasy \Id`i*o*syn"cra*sy\, n.; pl. Idiosyncrasies. [Gr. ?; 'i`dios proper, peculiar + ? a mixing together, fr. ? to mix together; ? with + ? to mix: cf. F. idiosyncrasie. See Idiom, and Crasis.] A peculiarity of physical or mental constitution or temperament; a characteristic belonging to, and distinguishing, an individual; characteristic susceptibility; idiocrasy; eccentricity.
The individual mind . . . takes its tone from the
idiosyncrasies of the body.
--I. Taylor.
Wiktionary
n. (plural of idiosyncrasy English)
Usage examples of "idiosyncrasies".
They had to learn to recognize the same sound or speech unit through all our normal variations in speech volume, pitch, speed, emphasis, phrase grouping, and individual idiosyncrasies of pronunciation.
These examples illustrate the broad range of questions concerning cultural idiosyncrasies, unrelated to environment and initially of little significance, that might evolve into influential and long-lasting cultural features.
One can think of other individuals whose idiosyncrasies apparently influenced history as did Hitler's: Alexander the Great, Augustus, Buddha, Christ, Lenin, Martin Luther, the Inca emperor Pachacuti, Mohammed, William the Conqueror, and the Zulu king Shaka, to name a few.
Like cultural idiosyncrasies, individual idiosyncrasies throw wild cards into the course of history.
Her face was more repulsive than that of the men, possibly because of the fact that she was a woman, which rather accentuated the idiosyncrasies of eyes, pendulous lip, pointed tusks and stiff, low-growing hair.
Here also the number of lions, roaming loose through the thoroughfares, increased, and also for the first time Tarzan noted the idiosyncrasies of the people.
Familiar with the tribal idiosyncrasies of a great number of African tribes over a considerable proportion of the Dark Continent, the Tarmangani at last felt reasonably assured that he knew from what part of Africa this slave had come, and the dialect of his people.
The land they saw was theirs, and the Fitzduanes, whatever their personal idiosyncrasies, shared a "what I have I hold" mentality.
Names, descriptions, addresses, relatives, ancestors, contacts, personal habits, food preferences, sexual idiosyncrasies, speech patternsyou name it, anything that might in some way contribute to the hunt gets entered.
Even Jiro looked abashed by his senior’s truculence as Kenjo succinctly briefed Sallah on landing procedures, advice on handling the shuttle’s idiosyncrasies, and the frequency for the tower meteorological control.
A single stride within, Deymorin's horse, wise to the idiosyncrasies of the City and disdaining anything so plebeian as a signal from his rider, shd to a plunging, bucking halt, spraying sand and gravel over the gate attendants scattering from his path.
After a while, you get to know it, you study its idiosyncrasies and anomalies.