freak

I. noun Etymology: origin unknown Date: 1563 1. a. a sudden and odd or seemingly pointless idea or turn of the mind b. a seemingly capricious action or event 2. archaic a whimsical quality or disposition 3. one that is markedly unusual or abnormal: as a. a person or animal having a physical oddity and appearing in a circus sideshow b. slang (1) a sexual deviate (2) a person who uses an illicit drug c. hippie d. an atypical postage stamp usually caused by a unique defect in paper (as a crease) or a unique event in the manufacturing process (as a speck of dirt on the plate) that does not produce a constant or systematic effect 4. a. an ardent enthusiast <

film freaks

> b. a person who is obsessed with something <

a control freak

> II. adjective Date: circa 1887 having the character of a freak <

a freak accident

> III. verb Date: 1964 transitive verb 1. to make greatly distressed, astonished, or discomposed — often used with out <

the news freaked them out

> 2. to put under the influence of a psychedelic drug — often used with out intransitive verb 1. to withdraw from reality especially by taking drugs — often used with out 2. to experience nightmarish hallucinations as a result of taking drugs — often used with out 3. a. to behave irrationally or unconventionally under the influence of drugs — often used with out b. to react with extreme or irrational distress or discomposure — often used with out • freaked adjective • freaked-out adjective IV. transitive verb Etymology: perhaps from or akin to 1freckle Date: 1637 to streak especially with color <

silver and mother-of-pearl freaking the intense azure — Robert Bridges †1930

>