Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definitions: Eccentricity |
EccentricityNoun1. Strange and unconventional behavior. 2. (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; "a circle is an ellipse with zero eccentricity". 3. A circularity that has a different center or deviates from a circular path. Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "eccentricity" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1791. (references) |
| Domain | Definitions |
Satire | ECCENTRICITY, n. A method of distinction so cheap that fools employ it to accentuate their incapacity. Source: Devil's Dictionary. |
Aerospace | (Symbol e) 1. Of any conic, the ratio of the length of the radius vector through a point on the conic to the distance of the point from the directrix. 2. Of an ellipse, the ratio of the distance between the center and focus of an ellipse to its semimajor axis. Also called numerical eccentricity. The eccentricity e of an ellipse can be computed by the formula where a is the semimajor axis and b is the semiminor axis.3. Of an ellipse, the distance between the center and the focus. Also called linear eccentricity. (references) |
Electrical Engineering | The distance between the centre of the two concentric circles specifying the cladding diameter and the centre of the two concentric circles specifying the core diameter. Source: European Union. (references) |
| The displacement of the centre of the recording groove spiral with respect to the centre of the disk centre hole. Source: European Union. (references) | |
Geography | The long-period comets with periods approaching one million years and -- near a value of 1. Source: European Union. (references) |
Health | Oddness of behavior or conduct without insanity. (references) |
Mechanical Engineering | Half the radial run out. Source: European Union. (references) |
Medicine | Oddness of behaviour or conduct without insanity. Source: European Union. (references) |
Physics | A value that defines the shape of an ellipse or planetary orbit. The eccentricity of an ellipse (planetary orbit) is the ratio of the distance between the foci and the major axis. Equivalently the eccentricity is (ra-rp)/(ra+rp) where ra is the apoapsis distance and rp is the periapsis distance. (references) |
Science | (aka ecce or E0 or e) One of six Keplerian elements, it describes the shape of an orbit. In the Keplerian orbit model, the satellite orbit is an ellipse, with eccentricity defining the 'shape' of the ellipse. When e=0, the ellipse is a circle. When e is very near 1, the ellipse is very long and skinny. (references) |
Space | Number between 0 and 1, gauging the elongation of elliptic orbit. The eccentricity e of the orbital ellipse is one of the "orbital elements" characterizing it. (references) |
| The distance between the foci of an ellipse divided by the major axis. (references) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
(From Wikipedia, the free Encyclopedia)
In mathematics, eccentricity is a parameter associated with every conic section. It can be thought of as a measure of how much the conic section deviates from being circular. In particular:
In popular usage, eccentricity refers to unusual or odd behavior on the part of a person, as opposed to being normal. Eccentric behavior is often considered whimsical or quirky, although it can also be strange and disturbing. American millionaire Howard Hughes, for example was considered to be very eccentric, and stored his urine in glass jars and never cut his hair or nails. Other people may have eccentric taste in clothes, or have eccentric hobbies or collections.
Many of history's most brilliant minds have displayed many unusual behaviors and habits, and eccentricity is sometimes thought to be a sign of genius. However, many eccentrics are crankss, rather than geniuses.
Extravagance is a kind of eccentricity, related to abundance and wastefulness.
List of notable eccentrics
Source: adapted by the editor from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia under a copyleft GNU Free Documentation License (GFDL) from the article "Eccentricity."
Synonym: EccentricitySynonym: flightiness. (additional references) |
| Antonym: concentricity (n). (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Exteriority | Excentricity; eccentricity; circumjacence. |
Imbecility Folly | Folly, frivolity, irrationality, trifling, ineptitude, nugacity, inconsistency, lip wisdom, conceit; sophistry; giddiness; (inattention); eccentricity; extravagance; (absurdity); rashness. |
Insanity | Fanaticism, infatuation, craze; oddity, eccentricity, twist, monomania (caprice); kleptodipsomania; hypochondriasis; (low spirits); melancholia, depression, clinical depression, severe depression; hysteria; amentia. |
Ridiculousness | Farce, comedy; burlesque; (ridicule); buffoonery; (fun); frippery; doggerel verses; absurdity; bombast; (unmeaning); anticlimax, bathos; eccentricity, monstrosity; (unconformity); laughingstock. |
Unconformity | Noun: {opp. } nonconformity; unconformity, disconformity; unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly; anomalousness; Adjective: exception, peculiarity; infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage; teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity; freak, freak of Nature, weirdo, mutant; rouser, snorter. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Eccentricity |
| English words defined with "eccentricity": Eccentricities, Excentricity ♦ modicum ♦ oddity, oddness ♦ Whim shaft. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "eccentricity": Coordinated Universal Time ♦ FORGING-PRESS OPERATOR II ♦ MCC, Milankovitch theory ♦ orbital eccentricity, Orbital elements ♦ press hand, press operator ♦ TYPE-COPY EXAMINER. (references) |
| Domain | Title |
Books |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Author | Quotation |
Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton | The world thinks eccentricity in great things is genius, but in small things, only crazy. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | |
| "Eccentricity" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 100.00% of the time. "Eccentricity" is used about 149 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 100% | 149 | 25,810 |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expression using "eccentricity": orbital eccentricity. Additional references. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Expression | Frequency per Day |
eccentricity | 24 |
eccentricity orbit | 6 |
eccentricity ellipse | 5 |
eccentricity planet | 2 |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| Language | Translations for "eccentricity"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | |
Albanian | sjellje e çuditshme (antic, quirk), jashtëqendërsi. (various references) | |
Arabic | غرابة (odiousness, otherness, peculiarity, quaintness, queerness, singularity, strangeness, weirdness, whimsicality, whimsy), الإختلا ف المركزي, إختلاف المراكز, شذوذ (abecedarian, aberration, abnormality, anomaly, anomie, exception, kink, oddity, quirk, sports). (various references) | |
Bulgarian | чудатост (comicality, faddiness, kink, peculiarity, quirk, singularity, strangeness, twist), ексцентричност (kink, twist). (various references) | |
Chinese | 离心率 (Eccentricities). (various references) | |
Czech | excentricita, výstřednost (extravagance, kink, oddity, peculiarity, quirk, weirdness, wilderness), podivínství (oddity, whimsicality). (various references) | |
Danish | excentricitet (concentricity error), et hjuls ekcentricitet (offset of wheel, OUT of centre of wheel, OUT of true of wheel), ekscentricitet (concentricity error), koncentrisk fejl (concentricity error), koncentricitetsfejl (concentricity error, concentricity errors), forskruethed. (various references) | |
Dutch | excentriciteit van een wiel (offset of wheel, OUT of centre of wheel, OUT of true of wheel), excentriciteit (camber, concentricity error, mismatch), uitmiddelpuntigheid, concentriciteitsfout (concentricity error). (various references) | |
Finnish | epäkeskisyys (concentricity error), epäkeskeisyys (concentricity error). (various references) | |
French | excentricité (orbital eccentricity). (various references) | |
German | Exzentrizität (concentricity error), Verschrobenheit (crankiness, crotchetiness), überspanntheit (extravagance, hysteria, jitteriness, wildness). (various references) | |
Greek | σφάλμα ομοκεντρότητας (concentricity error), εκκεντρότητα ενός τροχού (offset of wheel, OUT of centre of wheel, OUT of true of wheel), εκκεντρότητα (concentricity error), εκκεντρότης, εκκεντρικότησ (flightiness, kinkiness, pixilation), εκκεντρικότητα (aberration, flightiness, kinkiness, peculiarity). (various references) | |
Hebrew | משו ות (strangeness), תמי"ות (peculiarity, queerness, strangeness), תמ"ו יות (grotesqueness). (various references) | |
Hungarian | különcség (extravagance, oddity). (various references) | |
Indonesian | kesintingan, keesentrikan. (various references) | |
Italian | eccentricit (oddity, oddness). (various references) | |
Japanese Kanji | 偏執 (bias, obstinacy), 偏屈 (bigotry, obstinacy). (various references) | |
Japanese Katakana | りし"りつ, へ"ぺき (crankiness), へ"しつ (bias, degeneration, deterioration, obstinacy), へ"くつ (bigotry, obstinacy), へ"しゅう (bias, compilation, editing, editorial, little boat, obstinacy, skiff), へ"し" (apostasy, change of mind, deflection, disguise, inconstancy, metamorphosis, reply, transformation, veering), へ"き. (various references) | |
Korean | 기발 (Eccentricities). (various references) | |
Manx | corrid (instability, irresolution). (various references) | |
Pig Latin | eccentricityay.(various references) | |
Portuguese | excentricidades, excentricidade (antic, caprice, concentricity error, Ecclesiastes, fantastically, oddity, originally, peculiarity, singularity, whimsicality), erro de concentricidade (concentricity error). (various references) | |
Romanian | excentricitate (excentricity, oddity, queerness, singularity), originalitate (original, script), ciudãţenie (behavior, behaviour, curio, curiosity, extravagance, freak, kink, oddity, oddment, oddness, originality, peculiarity, queerness, quip, singularity, strangeness, vagary, whim, whimsicality), bazaconie (extravagance, Folly, hoax, singularity). (various references) | |
Russian | эксцентричность (wackiness). (various references) | |
Serbo-Croatian | nastranost (extravagance, kink, oddity, quaintness, queerness, twist, weirdness). (various references) | |
Spanish | excentricidad (kink, oddity). (various references) | |
Swedish | excentricitet (camber, mismatch). (various references) | |
Turkish | eksantriklik, dış merkezlilik, antikalık (antics, antiqueness, antiquity, quaintness), acayiplik (antics, crankiness, fantasticality, lark, novelty, oddity, oddness, peculiarity, queerness, quirk, singularity, strangeness, whimsicality, whimsicalness). (various references) | |
Ukranian | ексцентриситет, ексцентричність (oddness, screwball), дивність (curiosity, oddness, queerness, strangeness). (various references) | |
Vietnamese | tính lập dị. (various references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various translation references. | ||
Misspellings | |
"Eccentricity" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: accentricity, decentricity, eccenticity, eucentricity, excentricity. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "eccentricity" (pronounced e'ksuntri"sutē) |
| 7 | -t r i" s u t ē | electricity. |
| 5 | -i" s u t ē | analyticity, authenticity, complicity, domesticity, duplicity, elasticity, ethnicity, Felicity, multiplicity, publicity, simplicity, specificity, toxicity. |
| 4 | -s u t ē | adversity, animosity, atrocity, audacity, biodiversity, capacity, complexity, curiosity, density, diversity, falsity, ferocity, generosity, incapacity, intensity, laxity, mendacity, monstrosity, necessity, obesity, opacity, overcapacity, paucity, perplexity, perversity, pomposity, propensity, reciprocity, religiosity, scarcity, tenacity, university, varsity, velocity, veracity, virtuosity, viscosity, voracity. |
| 3 | -u t ē | ability, abnormality, absurdity, acceptability, accessibility, accountability, acidity, activity, actuality, acuity, adaptability, admissibility, advisability, affinity, affordability, aggressivity, agility, alacrity, alkalinity, ambiguity, amenity, amiability, amity, annuity, anonymity, antiquity, anxiety, applicability, austerity, authority, availability, banality, barbarity, believability, bestiality, bisexuality, brevity, brutality, calamity, capability, captivity, causality, cavity, celebrity, centrality, charity, chastity, civility, clarity, collegiality, commodity, commonality, community, comparability, compatibility, comprehensibility, conditionality, conductivity, confidentiality, conformity, congeniality, congruity, connectivity, constitutionality, continuity, convertibility, creativity, credibility, credulity, criminality, criticality, crotchety, culpability, cyclicality, debility, deductibility, deformity, deity, deniability, dependability, depravity, deputy, desirability, dexterity, dignity, dimensionality, disability, discontinuity, disparity, dissimilarity, disunity, divinity, docility, duality, ductility, durability, electability, eligibility, enforceability, enmity, enormity, entity, equality, equanimity, equity, eternity, eventuality, exclusivity, expressivity, extraterritoriality, extremity, facility, fallibility, familiarity, fatality, feasibility, femininity, fertility, festivity, fidelity, finality, flammability, flexibility, fluidity, formality, fragility, fraternity, frivolity, frugality, functionality, futility, generality, geniality, gentility, gratuity, gravity, gullibility, heredity, heterogeneity, heterosexuality, hilarity, homogeneity, homosexuality, hospitality, hostility, humanity, humidity, humility, hyperactivity, hypersensitivity, identity, illegality, illiquidity, immaturity, immobility, immorality, immortality, immunity, impartiality, impersonality, impossibility, impropriety, impunity, impurity, inability, inaccessibility, inactivity, incivility, incompatibility, incongruity, incredulity, indemnity, indestructibility, indignity, individuality, inequality, inequity, inevitability, infallibility, inferiority, infertility, infidelity, infinity, infirmity, inflexibility, informality, ingenuity, inhumanity, insanity, insecurity, insensitivity, instability, instrumentality, insularity, integrity, invincibility, invisibility, invulnerability, irrationality, irregularity, irresponsibility, irritability, laity, legality, legibility, lethality, levity, liability, liberality, liquidity, lividity, locality, longevity, majority, malleability, maneuverability, marketability, masculinity, materiality, maternity, maturity, mediocrity, mentality, minority, miscibility, mobility, modality, modernity, morality, morbidity, mortality, motility, municipality, musicality, mutuality, nationality, nativity, negativity, neutrality, nobility, Nonconformity, nonentity, nonutility, normality, notoriety, nudity, objectivity, obscenity, obscurity, oddity, opportunity, originality, oversensitivity, palatability, parity, partiality, particularity, passivity, paternity, peculiarity, permeability, perpetuity, personality, piety, plausibility, plurality, polarity, polity, popularity, portability, possibility, posterity, practicality, predictability, principality, priority, probability, probity, proclivity, productivity, profanity, profitability, progressivity, promiscuity, proportionality, propriety, prosperity, proximity, punctuality, purity, quality, quantity, radioactivity, rapidity, rarity, rationality, reactivity, readability, reality, receptivity, reflexivity, regularity, relativity, reliability, respectability, responsibility, retroactivity, rickety, rigidity, salinity, sanctity, sanity, seasonality, security, selectivity, senility, seniority, sensibility, sensitivity, sensuality, sentimentality, serendipity, serenity, severity, sexuality, similarity, sincerity, sobriety, society, solemnity, solidarity, solidity, sorority, speciality, spirituality, spontaneity, stability, sterility, stupidity, subjectivity, suitability, superconductivity, superfluidity, superiority, supermajority, surety, survivability, susceptibility, sustainability, technicality, temerity, theatricality, timidity, tonality, totality, tranquility, transferability, Trinity, triviality, turbidity, ubiquity, unanimity, unavailability, unfamiliarity, uniformity, unity, universality, unpopularity, unpredictability, unreality, unreliability, uppity, utility, validity, vanity, variability, variety, velvety, venality, Verity, versatility, viability, vicinity, virginity, virility, visibility, vitality, volatility, vulgarity, vulnerability. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-c-c-e-e-i-i-n-r-t-t-y" | |
-2 letters: centricity. | |
-3 letters: eccentric, intercity, reticency. | |
-4 letters: entirety, eternity, intertie, reincite, reticent, retinite. | |
-5 letters: centric, citrine, cittern, crinite, eccrine, eirenic, enteric, enticer, icteric, inciter, neritic, nettier, niterie, nitrite, nittier, recency, tentier, trinity. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
Hexadecimal (or equivalents, 770AD-1900s) (references)45 63 63 65 6E 74 72 69 63 69 74 79 |
| Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519; backwards) (references)
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| American Sign Language (origins from 1620-1817 in Italy and, especially, France) (references)
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| Semaphore (1791, in France) (references)
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| Braille (1829, in France) (references)
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Morse Code (1836) (references). -.-. -.-. . -. - .-. .. -.-. .. - -.--. |
| Dancing Men (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1903) (references)
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Binary Code (1918-1938, probably earlier) (references)01000101 01100011 01100011 01100101 01101110 01110100 01110010 01101001 01100011 01101001 01110100 01111001 |
HTML Code (1990) (references)E c c e n t r i c i t y |
ISO 10646 (1991-1993) (references)0045 0063 0063 0065 006E 0074 0072 0069 0063 0069 0074 0079 |
| British Sign Language (Fingerspelling, BSL; 1992, British Deaf Association Dictionary of British Sign Language) (references)
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Encryption (beginner's substitution cypher): (references)396969718086847569758691 |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Commercial | 5. Quotations: Familiar 6. Usage Frequency 7. Expressions 8. Expressions: Internet | 9. Translations: Modern 10. Derivations 11. Rhymes 12. Anagrams | 13. Orthography 14. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
