Etymology

eccentric

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Today it means: Not at or in the centre; away from the centre. Full definition →

Middle French excentrique ← Medieval Latin eccentricus ← Ancient Greek ἔκκεντρος (ékkentros)
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*h₁éǵʰ
  2. Proto-Indo-European*h₁eǵʰs
  3. Proto-Hellenic*eks
  4. Ancient Greekἐκ (ek)
  5. Ancient Greekἐκ- (ek-)
  6. Proto-Indo-European*ḱen-?
  7. Proto-Indo-European*ḱéntrom
  8. Proto-Hellenic*kéntron
  9. Ancient Greekκέντρον (kéntron)
  10. Ancient Greekἔκκεντρος (ékkentros)
  11. Medieval Latineccentricus
  12. Middle Frenchexcentrique
  13. English todayeccentric

From Middle French excentrique, from Medieval Latin eccentricus, from Ancient Greek ἔκκεντρος (ékkentros, “not having the earth as the center of an orbit”), from ἐκ (ek, “out”) + κέντρον (kéntron, “point”). Equivalent to ex- + -centric.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.