A freak is a person who is physically deformed or transformed due to an extraordinary medical condition or body modification. This definition was first attested with this meaning in the 1880s as a shorter form of the phrase "freak of nature", itself a broader term meaning "whimsy or caprice of nature", attributed at least as far back as 1847.[1] The term's original neutral connotation became entirely negative during the 20th century; therefore, freak with its literal meaning of "abnormally developed individual" is viewed purely as a pejorative today.[2][3] However, the term is also recently used playfully to refer to an enthusiast or obsessive person.
- ^ "freak". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
- ^ Sherman, Howard (26 September 2014). "'Freak' is a slur and 'Freak Show' is propagating it. Disabled people deserve better". The Guardian.
- ^ Chemers, M (2008). Staging Stigma: A Critical Examination of the American Freak Show. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-230-61066-8.