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Freak
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<p>A freak is a person who is <a href="/facts/Deformity/tfApzexF">physically deformed</a> or transformed due to an extraordinary medical condition or <a href="/facts/Body_modification/vkhH7P7A">body modification</a>. 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. The term's original neutral <a href="/facts/Connotation/6GMwFTn9">connotation</a> became entirely negative during the 20th century; therefore, <i>freak</i> with its literal meaning of "abnormally developed individual" is viewed purely as a <a href="/facts/Pejorative/UId8vPsx">pejorative</a> today. However, the term is also recently used playfully to refer to an enthusiast or obsessive person. </p>