Freak

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"Freakish" redirects here. For other uses, see Freakish (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Phreak.

Joseph Merrick, c.1889

A freak refers to a person who is physically deformed or transformed due to an

extraordinary medical condition or body modification. This definition was first
attested in 1839, possibly as a shorter form of the phrase "freak of nature".[1] The
term's original neutral connotation became entirely negative during the 20th
century; therefore, freak with the meaning of "abnormally developed individual" is
viewed as a pejorative.[2][3]
The term is also recently used to refer to someone's obsessive or abnormal
behavior.

Contents

 1Usage
 2In science
 3See also
 4References

Usage
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.
[4]
 One well-known example of this word was in reference to Joseph Merrick, the
"Elephant Man."[5] As a jargon, side-show freaks were classified into two
groups: natural freaks and self-made freaks.[6] A natural freak would usually have
been born with a genetic abnormality, while a self-made freak was a person who
was altered artificially (with methods such as surgical implants).