curiosity n
1. a state in which you want to learn more about something [syn: wonder]
2. something unusual -- perhaps worthy of collecting [syn: curio, oddity, oddment, peculiarity, rarity]

Curiosity \Cu`ri*os"i*ty\ (k[=u]`r[i^]*[o^]s"[i^]*t[y^]), n.; pl. Curiosities (-t[i^]z). [OE. curiouste, curiosite, OF. curioset['e], curiosit['e], F. curiosit['e], fr. L. curiositas, fr. curiosus. See Curious, and cf. Curio.]
1. The state or quality or being curious; nicety; accuracy; exactness; elaboration. [Obs.] --Bacon. When thou wast in thy gilt and thy perfume, they mocked thee for too much curiosity. --Shak. A screen accurately cut in tapiary work . . . with great curiosity. --Evelin.
2. Disposition to inquire, investigate, or seek after knowledge; a desire to gratify the mind with new information or objects of interest; inquisitiveness. --Milton.
3. That which is curious, or fitted to excite or reward attention. We took a ramble together to see the curiosities of this great town. --Addison. There hath been practiced also a curiosity, to set a tree upon the north side of a wall, and, at a little hieght, to draw it through the wall, etc. --Bacon.

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Curiosity (from Latin curiosus "careful, diligent, curious," akin to cura "care") is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behavior such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species. The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity. As this emotion represents a drive to know new things, curiosity is the fuel of science and all other disciplines of human study.

Although many living beings have an innate capability of curiosity, it should not be categorized as an instinct because it is not a fixed action pattern; rather it is an innate basic emotion because while curiosity can be expressed in many ways, the expression of an instinct is typically more fixed and less flexible. Curiosity is common to human beings at all ages from infancy to old age, and is easy to observe in many other animal species. These include apes, cats, fish, reptiles, and insects; as well as many others. Many aspects of exploration are shared among all beings, as all known terrestrial beings share similar aspects: limited size and a need to seek out food sources.

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