4-427: Freak has several meanings: a person who is physically deformed or suffers from an extraordinary disease and condition, a genetic mutation in a plant or animal, etc. Freak , freaks or The Freak may also refer to: Freak 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
8-400: A genetic abnormality , while a self-made freak was a person who was altered artificially (with methods such as surgical implants ). The term has a variety of much more recent meanings. An example is something strikingly unusual about one's appearance or behavior. This usage originated from " freak scene " during the 1960s and 1970s, most famously promoted by the album Freak Out! made by
12-488: Is also recently used playfully to refer to an enthusiast or obsessive person. Freak saw usage as jargon by promoters and performers of freak shows , though its use in this sense has decreased along with the popularity of freak shows. One well-known example of this word was in reference to Joseph Merrick , the "Elephant Man." As a jargon, side-show freaks were classified into two groups: natural freaks and self-made freaks. A natural freak would usually have been born with
16-404: 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. 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. However, the term
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