eccentricity

/ˌɛk.sənˈtrɪs.ə.ti/
noun
  1. The quality of being unusual, odd, or different from what is normal or expected.
    • Her eccentricity made her stand out in the small town, but everyone loved her.
    • Some people see eccentricity as a sign of creativity rather than a flaw.
    • The professor's eccentricity included wearing mismatched socks and collecting antique doorknobs.
  2. An unusual or odd habit, action, or feature.
    • The old house had many eccentricities, like a staircase that led to a closet.
    • One of his eccentricities is that he only eats foods that are purple.
    • Her eccentricities, such as talking to plants, made her a memorable character.
  3. In mathematics and astronomy, a measure of how much an orbit or shape deviates from being a perfect circle.
    • Students calculated the eccentricity of an ellipse in their geometry class.
    • The eccentricity of Earth's orbit is very small, making it nearly circular.
    • Comets often have a high orbital eccentricity, bringing them close to the sun and then far away.
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