Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The quality of being eccentric.
- noun Deviation from the normal, expected, or established.
- noun An example or instance of eccentric behavior.
- noun Physics The distance between the center of an eccentric and its axis.
- noun Mathematics The ratio of the distance of any point on a conic section from a focus to its distance from the corresponding directrix. This ratio is constant for any particular conic section.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Deviation from a center; the state of a circle with reference to its center not coinciding with that of another circle.
- noun In geometry and astronomy, the distance between the foci of a conic divided by the transverse diameter. The eccentricity of the earth's orbit is .01677, or about .
- noun In ancient astronomy, the distance of the center of the equant from the earth.
- noun Departure or deviation from that which is stated, regular, or usual; oddity; whimsicalness: as, the eccentricity of a man's genius or conduct.
- noun An eccentric action or characteristic; a striking peculiarity of character or conduct.
- noun Also
excentricity in the literal uses.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun The state of being eccentric; deviation from the customary line of conduct; oddity.
- noun (Math.) The ratio of the distance between the center and the focus of an ellipse or hyperbola to its semi-transverse axis.
- noun (Astron.) The ratio of the distance of the center of the orbit of a heavenly body from the center of the body round which it revolves to the semi-transverse axis of the orbit.
- noun (Mech.) The distance of the center of figure of a body, as of an eccentric, from an axis about which it turns; the throw.
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The quality of being
eccentric ; any eccentricbehaviour . - noun mathematics The
ratio ,constant for any particularconic section , of thedistance of apoint from thefocus to its distance from thedirectrix
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun (geometry) a ratio describing the shape of a conic section; the ratio of the distance between the foci to the length of the major axis
- noun a circularity that has a different center or deviates from a circular path
- noun strange and unconventional behavior
Etymologies
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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In this case, their eccentricity is demonstrated by the fact that they genuinely could not care less about the reaction of the Chinese government.
Nobel Peace Prize reaction: China's angry, the U.S. is subdued Anne Applebaum 2010
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His eccentricity is kind of admirable but I'd much rather listen to Daniel Johnston.
Anyone else disturbed by this? The Nag 2009
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I suppose the band's English eccentricity is rather studied - the bass player is called The House of Lords "because he's big and all all important decisions have to go through him".
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I suppose the band's English eccentricity is rather studied - the bass player is called The House of Lords "because he's big and all all important decisions have to go through him".
Archive 2008-09-01 2008
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Hispanic eccentricity is peninsular and consists of the coexistence of different civilizations and different pasts: an inclusive eccentricity.
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Hispanic eccentricity is reproduced and multiplied in America, especially in those countries such as Mexico and Peru, where ancient and splendid civilizations had existed.
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The word eccentricity was not interpreted by the cadet, of course, as the Sep meant it should be, but in the sense we use it when we speak of the eccentricity of an orbit for instance.
Henry Ossian Flipper The Colored Cadet at West Point Flipper, Henry O 1878
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The word eccentricity was not interpreted by the cadet, of course, as the Sep meant it should be, but in the sense we use it when we speak of the eccentricity of an orbit for instance.
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They will allow for *one* "eccentricity" - queer, female, not white - but not more.
Is Women's Studies Being Made Irrelevant? Anxious Black Woman 2008
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Americans have always had a tenuous relationship with the idea of eccentricity, unlike our forebears in England, where eccentrics occupy a hallowed part of the cultural fabric.
Lesley M. M. Blume: Grey Gardens: What We Can Learn From The Edies 2009
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