different between whim vs idiosyncrasy

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /(h)w?m/
• Rhymes: -?m

Etymology 1

Clipping of whim-wham.

Noun

whim (countable and uncountable, plural whims)

1. A fanciful impulse, or whimsical idea.
   • (Can we find and add a quotation of Churchill to this entry?)

     Let every man enjoy his whim.

2. (mining) A large capstan or vertical drum turned by horse power or steam power, for raising ore or water, etc., from mines, or for other purposes

Synonyms

• (fancy): lark, especially in phrase on a whim, see also Thesaurus:whim

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

whim (third-person singular simple present whims, present participle whimming, simple past and past participle whimmed)

1. (rare, intransitive) To be seized with a whim; to be capricious.

Further reading

• Picture of a horse-powered whim used to wind the cables on to work the mine between the depth of 50 feet to 500 feet - photo taken at Gympie, Queensland, Australia

Etymology 2

Compare whimbrel.

Noun

whim (plural whims)

1. A bird, the Eurasian wigeon.

English

Etymology

First attested in 1604, in modern sense since 1665, from Ancient Greek ????????????? (idiosunkrasía, “one’s own temperament”), from ????? (ídios, “one’s own”) + ??? (sún, “together”) + ?????? (krâsis, “temperament”). Analyzable as idio- +? syn- +? -crasy.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /??d??(?)?s??k??si/
• IPA^(key): /??d.i.???s??.k??.si/
• IPA^(key): /??di.??s??k??si/
• (US) IPA^(key): /??dio??s??k??si/
• Hyphenation: idio?syn?crasy

Noun

idiosyncrasy (plural idiosyncrasies)

1. A behavior or way of thinking that is characteristic of a person.
2. A language or behaviour that is particular to an individual or group.
3. (medicine) A peculiar individual reaction to a generally innocuous substance or factor.
4. A peculiarity that serves to distinguish or identify.

Synonyms

• eccentricity
• foible
• habit
• mannerism
• oddity
• quirk
• vagary

Derived terms

• idiosyncratic
• idiosyncratically

Translations

See also

References

• idiosyncrasy in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• idiosyncrasy in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.