Etymology Map
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Bizarre

3 stages from Italian to English.

Today it means very strange

Where does the word "bizarre" come from? It comes from Italian bizzarro, passing through French before entering English (1640s).

1
Stage 1 of 3
bizzarro
Italian · 1500s
"angry, irascible"
an Italian word, possibly from Basque 'bizar', beard
2
Stage 2 of 3
bizarre
French · 1500s
"odd"
the French shifted the sense to 'odd'
3
Stage 3 of 3
bizarre
English · 1640s
"odd"
'bizarre' fashion dates from the 1700s
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Read the full story

Bizarre’s story begins in Italian: bizzarro meant “angry, irascible.” An Italian word, possibly from Basque 'bizar', beard. By 1500s, the word had taken hold in French as bizarre. The French shifted the sense to 'odd'. It reached English by 1640s as bizarre. 'bizarre' fashion dates from the 1700s. Today, bizarre means very strange.