Pronunciation: /SEL-kooth/ Part of speech: adjective Definition: Strange, rare, and wondrous in a way that fills one with a sense of marveling unfamiliarity. Etymology: <cite index="4-1">The word comes from Old English *selcūþ* (also spelled *seldcūþ*), a compound of *seld-*, meaning "rarely," and *cūþ*, meaning "known."</cite> It passed into Middle English as *selcouth* before the 12th century, making it one of the older surviving words in the English lexical record. <cite index="1-1">The construction therefore literally means "not known or familiar", something strange or unusual.</cite> Synonyms: uncanny, wondrous, singular, outlandish, recondite, unwonted In a sentence: The old astronomer gazed at the comet's twin tails with an expression of pure, childlike delight, as if he had never grown immune to the selcouth_ spectacle of the night sky.