freak

n. [ Prob. from OE. frek bold, AS. frec bold, greedly; akin to OHG. freh greedly, G. frech insolent, Icel. frekr greedy, Goth. faíhufriks avaricious. ] 1. A sudden causeless change or turn of the mind; a whim of fancy; a capricious prank; a vagary or caprice. [ 1913 Webster ]

She is restless and peevish, and sometimes in a freak will instantly change her habitation. Spectator.

2. a rare and unpredictable event; as, the July snowstorm was a freak of nature. [ PJC ]

3. an habitual drug user, especially one who uses psychedelic drugs. [ PJC ]

4. an animal or person with a visible congenital abnormality; -- applied especially to those who appear in a circus sideshow. [ PJC ]

Syn. -- Whim; caprice; folly; sport. See Whim. [ 1913 Webster ]

v. i. 1. to react with irrationality or extreme emotion; to lose one's composure; -- often used in the phrase
freak out. [ PJC ]

2. to become irrational or to experience hallucinations under the influence of drugs; -- often used in the phrase
freak out. [ PJC ]

v. t. 1. to cause (a person) react with great distress or extreme emotion; -- often used in the phrase
freak out. [ PJC ]

a. Freakish. [ Obs. ] Pepys. [ 1913 Webster ]

a. Apt to change the mind suddenly; whimsical; capricious. [ 1913 Webster ]

It may be a question whether the wife or the woman was the more freakish of the two. L'Estrange. [ 1913 Webster ]

Freakish when well, and fretful when she's sick. Pope.

2. rapidly changing and unpredictable; as, freakish weather. [ PJC ]

3. markedly abnormal.
Syn. -- freaky. [ PJC ]

-- Freak"ish*ly, adv. -- Freak"ish*ness, n. [ 1913 Webster ]

n. marked strangeness or abnormality.
Syn. -- abnormality. [ WordNet 1.5 ]