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ODEeccentric

eccentric

Flag: gbEnglishOxford Dictionary of English

eccentric /ɪkˈsɛntrɪk , ɛkˈsɛntrɪk /
adjective
1 (of a person or their behaviour) unconventional and slightly strange:
he noted her eccentric appearance.
2 technical not placed centrally or not having its axis or other part placed centrally:
a servo driving an eccentric cam.
(of a circle) not centred on the same point as another.
(of an orbit) not circular.
noun
1 a person of unconventional and slightly strange views or behaviour:
he's seen as a local eccentric.
2 a disc or wheel mounted eccentrically on a revolving shaft in order to transform rotation into backward-and-forward motion, e.g. a cam in an internal combustion engine.
– DERIVATIVES
eccentrically /ɪkˈsɛntrɪkli , ɛkˈsɛntrɪkli / adverb
– ORIGIN late Middle English (as a noun denoting a circle or orbit not having the earth precisely at its centre): via late Latin from Greek ekkentros, from ek out of + kentron centre.