curIous

[O. Fr. curios, curious, curius; Fr. curieux; Sp., Port. & Ital. curio so, from Lat. curios us careful; cur a =care.] I. Of persons: *1. Careful, anxious, concerned, eager. "That ben ful besy and curious For to dispreisen that best deserven love and name." Romaunt of the Rose, 1,052, 1,053. 2. Inquisitive; strongly desirous to see or know something new, strange, or extraordinary; prying. Fairfax.."-Holder, a more curious discrimination, 7. Strange, rare, remarkable, extraordinary, IMG:content-1590.png:[blocks in formation] quisitive , and prying : "The disposition to interest Crabb thus discriminates between curious , in one's self in matters not of immediate concern is the idea common to all these terms. Curiosity is directed to all objects that can gratify the inclination, taste, or understanding; inquisitivene to such things only as satisfy the understanding. The curious person interests himself in all the works of nature and art; he is curious to try effects and examine causes; the inquisitive person endeavors to add to his store of knowledge. Curiosity employs every means which falls in its way in order to procure gratification; the curious man uses his own powers or those of others to serve his purpose: inquisitivene is indulged only by means of inquiry; the inquisitive person collects 'all from others. A traveler is curious who examines everything for himself; he is inquisitive when he minutely questions others. Inquisitivene is therefore to curiosity as a part to the whole; whoever is curious will naturally be inquisitive , and he who is inquisitive is so from a species of curiosity . Curious and inquisitive may be both used in a bad sense; prying is never used otherwise than in a bad sense. Inquisitivene , as in the former case, is a mode of A curious person takes unallowed means of learn curiosity, and prying is a species of eager curiosity . ing that which he ought not to know; an inquisitive person puts many impertinent and troublesome questions; a prying temper is unceasing in its endeavors to get acquainted with the secrets of others. Curiosity is a fault common to women; in quisitivene is most general among children; a prying temper belongs only to people of low character." (Crabb: Eng. Synon.)