quirk

quirk [kwurk] SynonymsWord Origin noun

1. a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism: He is full of strange quirks.
2. a shift, subterfuge, or evasion; quibble.
3. a sudden twist or turn: He lost his money by a quirk of fate.
4. a flourish or showy stroke, as in writing.
5. Architecture.
   1. an acute angle or channel, as one dividing two parts of a molding or one dividing a flush bead from the adjoining surfaces.
   2. an area taken from a larger area, as a room or a plot of ground.
   3. an enclosure for this area.
6. Obsolete. a clever or witty remark; quip.

adjective

7. formed with a quirk or channel, as a molding.

Origin of quirk First recorded in 1540–50; origin uncertainCan be confusedquark quirkSynonyms for quirk 1. See eccentricity. British Dictionary definitions for quirker quirk noun

1. an individual peculiarity of character; mannerism or foible
2. an unexpected twist or turna quirk of fate
3. a continuous groove in an architectural moulding
4. a flourish, as in handwriting

Derived Formsquirky, adjectivequirkily, adverbquirkiness, nounWord Origin for quirk C16: of unknown origin Word Origin and History for quirker 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.