unusual | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

1580s, from un- (1) "not" + usual (adj.). Related: Unusually.

"book-madness, a rage for collecting rare or unusual books," 1734, after French bibliomanie, from biblio- "book" + mania.

singularly (adv.)

late 14c., "exclusively, alone, solely; uniquely; individually; in an unusual way, especially," from singular + -ly (2).

anomo-

word-forming element meaning "irregular, unusual," from Greek anomos, from a- "without" (see a- (3)) + nomos "law," from PIE root *nem- "assign, allot; take."

insolence (n.)

late 14c., from Latin insolentia "unusualness, strangeness; excess, immoderation; haughtiness, arrogance," from insolentem "unusual; arrogant" (see insolent).

forced (adj.)

"not spontaneous or voluntary, strained, unnatural," 1570s, past-participle adjective from force (v.). Meaning "effected by an unusual application of force" is from 1590s. Related: Forcedly. The flier's forced landing attested by 1917.

extraordinaire (adj.)

1940, from French extraordinaire (14c.), literally "extraordinary, unusual, out of the ordinary," but used colloquially as a superlative; see extraordinary, which represents an older borrowing of the same word.

hypermnesia (n.)

"unusual power of memory," 1847, from hyper- "over, beyond, in excess" + -mnēsia "memory," probably based on amnesia, which is older.

field-day (n.)

1747, originally a day of military exercise and review (see field (v.)); figurative sense "any day of unusual bustle, exertion, or display" [Century Dictionary] is from 1827.

uncommon (adj.)

1540s, "not possessed in common," from un- (1) "not" + common (adj.). Meaning "not commonly occurring, unusual, rare" is recorded from 1610s. Related: Uncommonly.

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