abnormal
/ˌæbˈnɔɹ.ml̩/
Word Rarity
Rare
Frequency: 3.71 in modern English
12
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
3
Syllables
7
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Of or pertaining to that which is irregular, in particular, behaviour that deviates from norms of social propriety or accepted standards of mental health.
Example Sentences
- "And then after an abnormal meal, which was either a very late breakfast or a very early lunch, they drove on to Victoria Station."
- "Here perhaps one of you might interrupt me and say, 'But what is it that you do, Socrates? How is it that you have been misrepresented like this? Surely all this talk and gossip about you would never have arisen if you had confined yourself to ordinary activities, but only if your behaviour was abnormal. Give us the explanation, if you do not want us to draw our own conclusions.'"
- "Furuseth was right; I was abnormal, an "emotionless monster," a strange bookish creature, capable of pleasuring in sensations only of the mind."
- "Many of the so-called rites of these secret societies were so patently ridiculous, that it is quite obvious that they were merely an excuse for men and women to indulge in sex-play and lustful gratification, frequently of an abnormal kind."
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *h₂ep Proto-Indo-European *-o Proto-Indo-European *h₂epó Proto-Italic *ap Latin abder. Latin ab-bor. English ab- Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- Proto-Indo-European *-sḱéti Proto-Indo-European *ǵn̥h₃sḱétider. Proto-Hellenic *gignṓskō Ancient Greek γιγνώσκω (gignṓskō) Proto-Indo-European *-mṓ Ancient Greek -μων (-mōn) Ancient Greek γνώμων (gnṓmōn)bor. Etruscanbor.? Latin norma Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- Proto-Indo-European *-is Proto-Indo-European *h₂élisder.? Proto-Italic *-ālis Latin -ālis Latin nōrmālisder. English normal English abnormal From ab- + normal. First attested in 1835, replacing the earlier anormal and even earlier abnormous, from Latin abnormis (“departing from normal”), from either ab- (“away from”) + norma (“rule, norm”), or Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (anṓmalos).
Origin
- Source language: Latin
Word Breakdown
- Root: abnormis, ἀνώμαλος
Regional Pronunciation
- American English: /ˌæbˈnɔɹ.ml̩/
- British English: /ˌæbˈnɔː.məl/
Inflected Forms
more abnormal (comparative)
most abnormal (superlative)
anormal (alternative, obsolete)
abnormous (alternative, obsolete)
abnormals (plural)