Abnormal

Pronunciation

• US IPA: /ˈæbËŒnɔɹ.mlÌ©/, /É™bˈnɔɹ.mlÌ©/
• Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)mÉ™l

Alternative forms

• anormal
• obsolete abnormous

Origin

- + normal. First attested in 1835, replacing the earlier anormal and even earlier abnormous,

CDOE|page=3

from Latin abnormis ("departing from normal"), from either (ab- ("away from") + norma ("rule, norm")),

or Ancient Greek ἀνώμαλος (anōmalos)

OCD2|page=3

.

Full definition of abnormal

Adjective

1. Not conforming to rule or system; deviating from the usual or normal type. First attested around the mid 19^th century.

• 1899, Arthur Conan Doyle, A Duet, ch. 6:And then after an abnormal meal, which was either a very late breakfast or a very early lunch, they drove on to Victoria Station.
1. Of or pertaining to that which is abnormal, in particular, behaviour that deviates from norms of social propriety or accepted standards of mental health. First attested around the early 20^th century.
• 1904, Jack London, The Sea Wolf, ch. 23:Furuseth was right; I was abnormal, an "emotionless monster," a strange bookish creature, capable of pleasuring in sensations only of the mind.

Synonyms

• (not conforming to rule or system; deviating from type) aberrant, anomalous, atypical, exceptional, extraordinary, irregular, odd, strange, unusual.

Noun

1. A person or object that is not normal.