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How is the word ‘idiosyncrasy’ pronounced?
(R. Jaichandran, Bangalore)
The ‘i’ in the first and second syllables and the ‘y’ in the final syllable are like the ‘i’ in ‘pit’, ‘bit’, and ‘hit’. The ‘o’ in the second is like the ‘o’ in ‘so’, ‘no’, and ‘go’. The ‘syn’ is pronounced like the word ‘sing’, and the ‘a’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The word is pronounced ‘idiosingkresi’ with the main stress on ‘syn’. There are other ways of pronouncing the word as well.
‘Idiosyncrasy’ is normally used to refer to the strange or unusual habits or characteristics of a person or thing. This is just one of the meanings of the word.
*He twirls his moustache whenever he gets nervous. This is one of his idiosyncrasies.
*One of the idiosyncrasies of this car is that when you turn on the lights, the AC stops working.
The word comes from the Greek ‘idios’ meaning ‘peculiar’ or ‘one’s own’, and ‘synkrasia’ meaning ‘temperament’. When borrowed into English, the word was first used in the medical profession to mean ‘physical constitution of an individual’.
S. UPENDRAN
upendrankye@gmail.com
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