curiosity
27
5.0
- noun
- /ˌkjʊə.riˈɒs.ɪ.ti/
:
curiosidad
- Most academics look on them as quaint curiosities, but they have no real concept of what that sword was used for or even how it was used.
- curiosity cabinet
- historical curiosities
- object of curiosity
A little from Law, a little from Chaos, a realm of opposites, of curiosities and jokes.
- A little from Law, a little from Chaos, a realm of opposites, of curiosities and jokes.
- But while we were setting up the Museum of Curiosities, our guy in our crew dropped it, broke it and cut his hand open.
- And, and I mean, some people still have them, but, you know, they're, they're kind of curiosities, right.
Examples
-
There are bills for instruments of measure, curiosities of nature, and extravagant comestibles.
Fiction book (1992) -
Welcome to "the old curiosity shop."
-
Now it's just a curiosity, an antique. "Just what I need," she said.
Fiction book (2002) -
- You've heard of it? - Only as a historical curiosity.
-
As a so-called child prodigy, he was a curiosity.
-
Once regarded as laboratory curiosities, smart materials are beginning to make their mark on some high-profile commercial applications.
Academic text (2002) -
...a cabinet of curiosities.
-
The museum displayed a rare curiosity from ancient Egypt that fascinated all the visitors.
-
He collected strange curiosities, including antique toys and unusual sculptures.
-
In the corner of the shop, there was a delightful curiosity that caught my eye: a vintage music box.
Synonyms
31
6.2
Something that is not common and happens only sometimes
27
3.9
A small, cheap object bought as a gift or souvenir
22
4.1
A thing people collect because it is interesting or valuable, like cards
15
5.3
A strange person or object that people notice
7
8.4
An unusual small object people collect because it is interesting, often from trips or old shops
1
9.1
Unusual objects from other places that people collect for their rarity
1
9.5
A small unusual thing kept because it is interesting
How Unusual
Surface Forms
Morphology
Etymology
Curiosity can also mean an unusual object that makes people interested, because it makes them 'curious', and the short word curio names a small odd item people collect. That's why a 'curiosity' in a shop or museum is a rare or strange object that draws attention.