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curious

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curious

 

  2  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Curious  \Cu"ri*ous\  (k?"r?-?s),  a.  [OF.  curios,  curius,  F. 
  curieux  L.  curiosus  careful,  inquisitive,  fr  cura  care  See 
  {Cure}.] 
  1.  Difficult  to  please  or  satisfy;  solicitous  to  be  correct; 
  careful;  scrupulous;  nice;  exact.  [Obs.] 
 
  Little  curious  in  her  clothes.  --Fuller. 
 
  How  shall  we  If  he  be  curious,  work  upon  his  faith? 
  --Beau.  &  Fl 
 
  2.  Exhibiting  care  or  nicety;  artfully  constructed; 
  elaborate;  wrought  with  elegance  or  skill. 
 
  To  devise  curious  works  --Ex.  xxxv.  32 
 
  His  body  couched  in  a  curious  bed.  --Shak. 
 
  3.  Careful  or  anxious  to  learn;  eager  for  knowledge;  given  to 
  research  or  inquiry;  habitually  inquisitive;  prying;  -- 
  sometimes  with  after  or  of 
 
  It  is  a  pity  a  gentleman  so  very  curious  after 
  things  that  were  elegant  and  beautiful  should  not 
  have  been  as  curious  as  to  their  origin,  their  uses, 
  and  their  natural  history.  --Woodward. 
 
  4.  Exciting  attention  or  inquiry;  awakening  surprise; 
  inviting  and  rewarding  inquisitiveness;  not  simple  or 
  plain;  strange;  rare  ``Acurious  tale''  --Shak. 
 
  A  multitude  of  curious  analogies.  --Macaulay. 
 
  Many  a  quaint  and  curious  volume  of  forgotten  lore. 
  --E.  A.  Poe. 
 
  Abstruse  investigations  in  recondite  branches  of 
  learning  or  sciense  often  bring  to  light  curious 
  results.  --C.  J.  Smith. 
 
  {Curious  arts},  magic.  [Obs.] 
 
  Many  .  .  .  which  used  curious  arts  brought  their 
  books  together,  and  burned  them  --Acts  xix. 
  19. 
 
  Syn:  Inquisitive;  prying.  See  {Inquisitive}. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  curious 
  adj  1:  beyond  or  deviating  from  the  usual  or  expected;  "a  curious 
  hybrid  accent";  "her  speech  has  a  funny  twang";  "they 
  have  some  funny  ideas  about  war";  "had  an  odd  name"; 
  "the  peculiar  aromatic  odor  of  cloves";  "something 
  definitely  queer  about  this  town";  "what  a  rum 
  fellow";  "singular  behavior"  [syn:  {funny},  {odd},  {peculiar}, 
  {queer},  {rum},  {rummy},  {singular}] 
  2:  eager  to  investigate  and  learn  or  learn  more  (sometimes 
  about  others'  concerns);  "a  curious  child  is  a  teacher's 
  delight";  "a  trap  door  that  made  me  curious";  "curious 
  investigators";  "traffic  was  slowed  by  curious 
  rubberneckers";  "curious  about  the  neighbor's  doings" 
  [ant:  {incurious}] 
  3:  having  curiosity  aroused;  eagerly  interested  in  learning 
  more  "a  trap  door  that  made  me  curious"




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