exotic

/ɛgˈzɑɾɪk/

/ɛksˈɒtɪk/

Other forms: exotically

Something so unusual that it must be from some unfamiliar place is exotic. An exotic pet might be a panda, instead of a hamster. An exotic trip might be a journey to the Galapagos Islands, instead of to Orlando's Sea World.

Animals and people, or sensory things like food and smells, are often called exotic when they are from far-away lands. In the 16th century, exotic came into use — from Latin and Greek words for "foreign," which came, in turn, from exo-, meaning "outside." By the 17th century it was also being used to describe things that are striking or unusual. Even when the words strange and alien are sometimes used as synonyms.

Definitions of exotic

1. adjective

   being or from or characteristic of another place or part of the world
   “exotic plants in a greenhouse”

   “exotic cuisine”

   synonyms: alien

   foreign, strange

   relating to or originating in or characteristic of another place or part of the world
2. adjective

   strikingly strange or unusual
   “protons, neutrons, electrons and all their exotic variants”

   “the exotic landscape of a dead planet”

   synonyms:

   strange, unusual

   being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird