Curiosity
Etymology
From Latin "curiositas", from "curiosus" (careful, inquisitive), from "cura" (care). The link to care is telling: to be curious was originally to be full of care and attention, and only later did the word narrow to the itch to find things out — with a lingering hint that too much of it can be meddlesome.
noun · /kyoor-ee-OSS-ih-tee/
A strong desire to learn or know something.
What it names
The pull toward the unknown for its own sake — the engine of inquiry, distinct from any use the knowledge might have.
Example
Pure curiosity, not ambition, kept her at the microscope past midnight.
Related idea
Curiosity is the active hunger to investigate and find out; wonder is the more passive awe at something marvelous — curiosity asks questions, wonder is stopped in its tracks.
noun · /kyoor-ee-OSS-ih-tee/
A rare, strange, or intriguing object, valued for its oddity.
What it names
an unusual collectible thing
Example
The shop’s shelves were crowded with curiosities — a shrunken head, a two-headed coin, a whale’s tooth.
Related idea
A cabinet of curiosities differs from mere bric-a-brac in that each object is meant to astonish, not just to decorate.