Pronounced: ka-tuh-WAHM-puhs, adj
Notes: You may know this word, but the background is rather interesting
Yesterday’s word
The word heteroclite, as a noun, means
- a person who is unconventional; a maverick
- a word that is irregularly formed
As an adjective, it means
- deviating from the ordinary rule; eccentric
- (grammar) irregularly inflected
First usage
Our word came into English in the late 1500s
Background / Comments
I really like this word – I hope I remember it enough to drop into conversations where it is appropriate. In my opinion, most people are unconventional in some ways. When one has enough areas in which one is unconventional, one becomes a noted eccentric. Our word came from the Latin word heteroclitus, which came from the Greek word heteroklitos, which is made of hetero- (different) and klinein (to learn; inflect).
Richard's Vocabulary Word-of-the-Day 