idiosincrasia
idiosyncrasy
noun ee-dyoh-seen-krah-ZEE-ah Rare
Origin: From Greek idiosunkrasia (one's own mixture of humours).
Also means
aversion
Usage Note
Idiosincrasia can mean a personal quirk or distinctive trait, but it also carries a medical sense of unusual sensitivity or intolerance (e.g. a drug reaction). In everyday Italian it often means a strong personal aversion: ho un'idiosincrasia per il rumore ('I have an aversion to noise'). The plural is idiosincrasie.
Examples
"Ha un'idiosincrasia per il disordine."
Natural Translation
She has an idiosyncrasy about disorder.

Free starter pack
Building your Italian vocabulary?
Get the 100 most common Italian words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.
Related Words
Explore Italian by topic