different between devious vs eccentric

English

Etymology

1590s, "out of the common or direct way," from Latin devius "out of the way, remote, off the main road," from de via; from de "off" (see de-) + via "way, road" (see via). Compare deviate. Originally in the Latin literal sense; the figurative sense of "deceitful" is first recorded 1630s. Related: Deviously; deviousness. Figurative senses of the Latin word were "retired, sequestered, wandering in the byways, foolish, inconsistent."

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?di?vi.?s/

  Rhymes: -i?vi?s

Adjective

devious (comparative more devious, superlative most devious)

1. cunning or deceiving, not straightforward or honest, not frank
2. roundabout, circuitous, deviating from the direct or ordinary route
   • 1801, Robert Southey, Thalaba the Destroyer:

     The wandering Arab never sets his tent
     Within her walls; the Shepherd eyes afar
     Her evil towers, and devious drives his flock.

   • 1839, Frederick Marryat, The Phantom Ship:

     Keeping close in to the shore, they discovered, after two hours run, a fresh stream which burst in a cascade from the mountains, and swept its devious course through the jungle, until it poured its tribute into the waters of the Strait.

Translations

English

Alternative forms

• eccentrick (obsolete)
• excentric
• excentrick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle French excentrique, from Medieval Latin excentricus, from Ancient Greek ????????? (ékkentros, “not having the earth as the center of an orbit”), from ?? (ek, “out”) + ??????? (kéntron, “point”). Equivalent to ex- +? -centric.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?k?s?nt??k/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?k?s?nt??k/

Adjective

eccentric (comparative more eccentric, superlative most eccentric)

1. Not at or in the centre; away from the centre.
   • 2011, Michael Laver, Ernest Sergenti. Party Competition: An Agent-Based Model, page 125,

     Strikingly, we see that party births tend systematically to be at policy positions that are significantly more eccentric than those of surviving parties, whatever decision rule these parties use.

2. Not perfectly circular; elliptical.

   As of 2008, Margaret had the most eccentric orbit of any moon in the solar system, though Nereid's mean eccentricity is greater.

3. Having a different center; not concentric.
4. (of a person) Deviating from the norm; behaving unexpectedly or differently; unconventional and slightly strange.
   • 1801, Author not named, Fyfield (John), entry in Eccentric Biography; Or, Sketches of Remarkable Characters, Ancient and Modern, page 127,

     He was a man of a most eccentric turn of mind, and great singularity of conduct.

   • 1807, G. H. Wilson (editor), The Eccentric Mirror, Volume 3, page 17,

     Such is not the case with Mr. Martin Van Butchell, one of the most eccentric characters to be found in the British metropolis, and a gentleman of indisputable science and abilities, but whose strange humors and extraordinary habits, have rather tended to obscure than to display the talents he possessed.

   • 1902, William James, The Varieties of Religious Experience, Lecture I:

     There can be no doubt that as a matter of fact a religious life, exclusively pursued, does tend to make the person exceptional and eccentric.

   • 1956, Arthur C. Clarke, The City and the Stars, 2012, unnumbered page,

     Khedron was the only other person in the city who could be called eccentric—and even his eccentricity had been planned by the designers of Diaspar.

5. (physiology, of a motion) Against or in the opposite direction of contraction of a muscle (e.g., such as results from flexion of the lower arm (bending of the elbow joint) by an external force while contracting the triceps and other elbow extensor muscles to control that movement; opening of the jaw while flexing the masseter).
6. Having different goals or motives.
   • a. 1626, Francis Bacon, 1867, Richard Whately (analysis and notes), James R. Boyd (editor), Essay XI: Wisdom for a Man's Self, Lord Bacon's Essays, page 171,

     […] for whatsoever affairs pass such a man's hands he crooketh them to his own ends, which must needs be often eccentric to those of his master or state: […]

Usage notes

• (physiology, of motion): Motions that are eccentric or the opposite (concentric) are classified as isotonic (“having equal tension”), the antonym of which is isometric (“retaining equal length”). See also Isometric exercise on Wikipedia.Wikipedia .

Synonyms

• (not at or in the centre): eccentrical, excentrical
• (not perfectly circular): eccentrical, excentrical
• (having a different centre): eccentrical, excentrical
• (deviating from the norm): eccentrical, excentrical, odd, abnormal; see also Thesaurus:eccentric
• (against the contraction of a muscle):
• (having different goals or motives): eccentrical, excentrical

Antonyms

• (against the contraction of a muscle): concentric

Derived terms

• eccentrically
• eccentric anomaly
• eccentric contraction
• eccentric flint
• eccentric hypertrophy

Related terms

• central
• centric
• eccentricity

Translations

Noun

eccentric (plural eccentrics)

1. One who does not behave like others.
   • 1989, Jeffrey Robinson, Rainier and Grace, page 26:

     A tiny, feisty woman who always spoke her mind, Charlotte was an eccentric in the wonderful way that some women from the last century were natural eccentrics.

   • 1998, Michael Gross, Life On The Edge, 2001, page ix,

     Eccentrics live longer, happier, and healthier lives than conformist normal citizens, according to the neuropsychologist David Weeks.

2. (slang) A kook; a person of bizarre habits or beliefs.
3. (geometry) A circle not having the same centre as another.
4. (engineering) A disk or wheel with its axis off centre, giving a reciprocating motion.

Synonyms

• (person who does not behave like others): misfit, nonconformist; see also Thesaurus:maverick
• (person of bizarre habits or beliefs): crank, odd duck, weirdo; see also Thesaurus:strange person

Translations

See also

• acentric