Understanding the Origins and Meanings of 'Odd'

Understanding the Origins and Meanings of 'Odd'

Assessment

Interactive Video

Mathematics, English, World Languages

9th - 12th Grade

Hard

Created by

Jackson Turner

FREE Resource

The video explores the word 'odd', tracing its origins from the Indo-European root 'uzdho', meaning 'pointing upwards'. Old Norse speakers adapted it to 'oddi', referring to a triangle, and later to anything unpaired. The term evolved to describe odd numbers and the 'odd man' in voting. By the 16th century, 'odd' came to mean peculiar, reflecting its modern usage.

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7 questions

Show all answers

1.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What is the original meaning of the Indo-European root 'uzdho'?

Pointing downwards

Pointing upwards

Pointing inwards

Pointing sideways

2.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

In Old Norse, what did the word 'oddi' originally refer to?

A rectangle

A triangle

A square

A circle

3.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What characteristic of a triangle led to the word 'oddi' being associated with something unmatched?

Its pointed shape

Its three angles

Its three sides

Its symmetry

4.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

In Old Norse, what did 'oddi' come to mean in terms of numbers?

Numbers divisible by two

Numbers not divisible by two

Prime numbers

Even numbers

5.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What role did the 'odda mathr' play in Old Norse society?

A leader of the tribe

A warrior in battle

A religious figure

A man who could break a tie

6.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

Which concept did the English borrow from Old Norse related to 'odd'?

Odd triangle

Odd number

Odd color

Odd shape

7.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTION

30 sec • 1 pt

What modern meaning did the notion of the 'odd man out' give rise to?

Peculiar

Ordinary

Common

Strange