Word Study
freak
CIDE DICTIONARY
freak, v. t. [Akin to OE. frakin, freken, freckle, Icel. freknur, pl., Sw. fräkne, Dan. fregne, Gr. perkno`s dark-colored, Skr. p variegated. Cf. Freckle, Freck.].
To variegate; to checker; to streak. [1913 Webster]
"Freaked with many a mingled hue." [1913 Webster]
freak, n. [Prob. from OE. frek bold, AS. frec bold, greedly; akin to OHG. freh greedly, G. frech insolent, Icel. frekr greedy, Goth. faíhufriks avaricious.].
- A sudden causeless change or turn of the mind; a whim of fancy; a capricious prank; a vagary or caprice. [1913 Webster]"She is restless and peevish, and sometimes in a freak will instantly change her habitation."
- a rare and unpredictable event; as, the July snowstorm was a freak of nature. [PJC]
- an habitual drug user, especially one who uses psychedelic drugs. [PJC]
- an animal or person with a visible congenital abnormality; -- applied especially to those who appear in a circus sideshow. [PJC]
Syn. -- Whim; caprice; folly; sport. See Whim.
freak, v. i.
- to react with irrationality or extreme emotion; to lose one's composure; -- often used in the phrase
freak out. [PJC] - to become irrational or to experience hallucinations under the influence of drugs; -- often used in the phrase
freak out. [PJC]
freak, v. t.
to cause (a person) react with great distress or extreme emotion; -- often used in the phrase
OXFORD DICTIONARY
freak, n. & v.
--n.
1 (also freak of nature) a monstrosity; an abnormally developed individual or thing.
2 (often attrib.) an abnormal, irregular, or bizarre occurrence (a freak storm).
3 colloq. a an unconventional person. b a person with a specified enthusiasm or interest (health freak). c a person who undergoes hallucinations; a drug addict (see sense 2 of v.).
4 a a caprice or vagary. b capriciousness.
--v. (often foll. by out) colloq.
1 intr. & tr. become or make very angry.
2 intr. & tr. undergo or cause to undergo hallucinations or a strong emotional experience, esp. from use of narcotics.
3 intr. adopt a wildly unconventional lifestyle.
--n.
1 (also freak of nature) a monstrosity; an abnormally developed individual or thing.
2 (often attrib.) an abnormal, irregular, or bizarre occurrence (a freak storm).
3 colloq. a an unconventional person. b a person with a specified enthusiasm or interest (health freak). c a person who undergoes hallucinations; a drug addict (see sense 2 of v.).
4 a a caprice or vagary. b capriciousness.
--v. (often foll. by out) colloq.
1 intr. & tr. become or make very angry.
2 intr. & tr. undergo or cause to undergo hallucinations or a strong emotional experience, esp. from use of narcotics.
3 intr. adopt a wildly unconventional lifestyle.
Idiom
freak-out colloq. an act of freaking out; a hallucinatory or strong emotional experience.
Etymology
16th c.: prob. f. dial.
THESAURUS
freak
Bohemian, LSD user, aberration, abnormal, abnormality, abortion, acidhead, addict, aficionado, alcoholic, amateur, androgyne, anomalous, anomaly, aspirant, aspirer, atypical, authority, baroque, beatnik, bee, bigot, bizarre, boutade, brainstorm, buff, bug, candidate, capriccio, caprice, chain smoker, character, chimera, cocaine sniffer, cokie, collector, conceit, connoisseur, coveter, crackpot, crank, craze, crazy idea, critic, crosspatch, crotchet, cubehead, curiosity, deformed, deformity, demon, desirer, deviant, devotee, dilettante, dipsomaniac, dissenter, dope fiend, doper, dropout, drug abuser, drug addict, drug user, drunkard, eager beaver, eccentric, eccentricity, energumen, enthusiast, erratic, exceptional, expert, extraordinary, fad, faddist, fan, fanatic, fanatico, fancier, fancy, fantastic notion, fantasy, fiend, flake, flimflam, flower child, fool notion, freak of nature, freakish, freakish inspiration, freaky, glue sniffer, great one for, grotesque, habitual, hankerer, harebrained idea, head, heavy smoker, heretic, hermaphrodite, hippie, hobbyist, hopeful, hophead, hound, humor, hype, idiosyncrasy, individualist, infatuate, inner-directed person, irregularity, junkie, kink, kook, lover, lunatic fringe, maggot, malconformation, malformation, malformed, maniac, marijuana smoker, maverick, megrim, methhead, misbegotten, miscreation, misfit, misshape, misshapen, monomaniac, monster, monstrosity, monstrous, mosaic, mutant, mutation, narcotics addict, naysayer, nonconformist, nonjuror, notion, nut, odd, oddball, oddity, original, passing fancy, peculiarity, pillhead, pothead, pundit, pursuer, queer, quirk, rara avis, rare, rarity, recluse, rhapsodist, rococo, savant, scholar, screwball, sectarian, sectary, snowbird, solicitant, specialist, speed freak, sport, strange, strange duck, sucker for, suitor, swinger, technical expert, technician, teratism, teratogenic, teratoid, toy, tripper, ugly duckling, unconformist, unexpected, unforeseen, unique, unparalleled, unpredictable, unpredicted, unusual, user, vagary, visionary, votary, wanter, weird, weirdo, whim, whim-wham, whimsy, wisher, yearner, yippie, zealotROGET THESAURUS
freak
Caprice
N caprice, fancy, humor, whim, whimsy, whimsey, whimwham, crotchet, capriccio, quirk, freak, maggot, fad, vagary, prank, fit, flimflam, escapade, boutade, wild-goose chase, capriciousness, kink, capricious, erratic, eccentric, fitful, hysterical, full of whims, maggoty, inconsistent, fanciful, fantastic, whimsical, crotchety, kinky, particular, humorsome, freakish, skittish, wanton, wayward, contrary, captious, arbitrary, unconformable, penny wise and pound foolish, fickle, frivolous, sleeveless, giddy, volatile, by fits and starts, without rhyme or reason, nil fuit unquain sic inipar sibi, the deuce is in him.Unconformity
N unconformity, nonconformity, unconformity, disconformity, unconventionality, informality, abnormity, abnormality, anomaly, anomalousness, exception, peculiarity, infraction of law, breach, of law, violation of law, violation of custom, violation of usage, infringement of law, infringement of custom, infringement of usage, teratism, eccentricity, bizarrerie, oddity, je ne sais quoi, monster, monstrosity, rarity, freak, freak of Nature, weirdo, mutant, rouser, snorter, individuality, idiosyncrasy, originality, mannerism, aberration, irregularity, variety, singularity, exemption, salvo, nonconformist, nondescript, character, original, nonesuch, nonsuch, monster, prodigy, wonder, miracle, curiosity, flying fish, black sheep, black swan, lusus naturae, rara avis, queer fish, mongrel, random breed, half-caste, half-blood, half-breed, metis, crossbreed, hybrid, mule, hinny, mulatto, tertium quid, hermaphrodite, phoenix, chimera, hydra, sphinx, minotaur, griffin, griffon, centaur, saggittary, kraken, cockatrice, wyvern, roc, dragon, sea serpent, mermaid, merman, merfolk, unicorn, Cyclops, men whose heads do grow beneath their shoulders, teratology, fish out of water, neither one thing nor another, neither fish nor fowl, neither fish flesh nor fowl nor good red herring, one in a million, one in a way, one in a thousand, outcast, outlaw, off the beaten track, oasis, uncomformable, exceptional, abnormal, abnormous, anomalous, anomalistic, out of order, out of place, out of keeping, out of tune, out of one's element, irregular, arbitrary, teratogenic, lawless, informal, aberrant, stray, wandering, wanton, peculiar, exclusive, unnatural, eccentric, egregious, out of the beaten track, off the beaten track, out of the common, out of the common run, beyond the pale of, out of the pale of, misplaced, funny, unusual, unaccustomed, uncustomary, unwonted, uncommon, rare, curious, odd, extraordinary, out of the ordinary, strange, monstrous, wonderful, unexpected, unaccountable, outre, out of the way, remarkable, noteworthy, queer, quaint, nondescript, none such, sui generis, unfashionable, fantastic, grotesque, bizarre, outlandish, exotic, tombe des nues, preternatural, denaturalized, heterogeneous, heteroclite, amorphous, mongrel, amphibious, epicene, half blood, hybrid, androgynous, androgynal, asymmetric, adelomorphous, bisexual, hermaphrodite, monoclinous, qualified, singular, unique, one-of-a-kind, newfangled, novel, non-classical, original, unconventional, unheard of, unfamiliar, undescribed, unprecedented, unparalleled, unexampled, unconformably, except, unless, save barring, beside, without, save and except, let alone, however, yet, but, once in a blue moon, once in a million years, Int, what on earth!, what in the world!, What the devil!, Holy cow!, Can you top that?, Sacre bleu, never was seen the like, never was heard the like, never was known the like, I could hardly believe it, I saw it, but I didn't believe it.For further exploring for "freak" in Webster Dictionary Online
