adjective / noun

eccentric

ik-SEN-trik/ɪkˈsentrɪk/

Displaced from a common center.

The eccentric axle sits away from the center of the wheel.

A simple machine wheel is mounted on a shaft visibly displaced from the wheel's geometric center; a subtle small center dot and the offset axle show the two centers.

Etymology

ecGreekout of

+centrGreekcenter

+icLatinrelating to

The pieces mean “out of the center,” originally describing an astronomical circle or orbit. Applied to people, this off-center image became a way to describe behavior or ideas that depart from ordinary expectations.

In context

The People Profiles1:49

Junius was a talented, though eccentric actor, whose unpredictable and wild behavior over the years was fuelled by his alcoholism.

John Wilkes Booth - Why He Killed Lincoln

More examples

The two circles are eccentric because their centers do not coincide.
An eccentric mounting places the wheel's center away from the shaft's axis.
An eccentric on the shaft moves the rod back and forth.

Forms

eccentric · eccentrics

eccentricity noun — The condition of being positioned off center.

Similar words

off-center: Describes position away from the center of something.
nonconcentric: Specifically describes circles or spheres that do not share centers.