curious

the word curious originates from the latin adjective 'curiosus', which itself derives from 'cura', meaning care or concern. the literal sense was 'full of care or diligence', which evolved to signify 'inquisitive'—taking care to find out details. this semantic shift from careful attention to eager inquiry passed through old french before entering middle english. the secondary meaning of 'strange' or 'unusual' developed later, likely from the idea of something that provokes inquisitive attention.

Structure: cur (care) + ious (adjective suffix) cur (from latin 'cura', meaning care, concern, attention); ious (a latin-derived adjectival suffix meaning 'full of' or 'characterized by')