outlandish

From Middle English outlandisch, from Old English ūtlendisċ, from Proto-West Germanic *ūtlandisk, from Proto-Germanic *ūtlandiskaz. Related to Old English ūtland (“foreign land, land abroad”) (whence English outland). Sense of “bizarre” from 1590s.[1] Surface analysis outland +‎ -ish. Cognate to German ausländisch, dated Dutch uitlands (now buitenlands), Swedish utländsk, “foreign, non-domestic”, Danish udenlandsk, Faroese útlendskur, all “foreign, non-domestic”.

• IPA^(key): /aʊ̯tˈlændɪʃ/

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• Rhymes: -ændɪʃ

outlandish (comparative more outlandish, superlative most outlandish)

1. Bizarre; strange.

   The rock star wore black with outlandish pink and green spiked hair.

   • 1961 July, “Talking of Trains: The Marylebone exhibition”, in Trains Illustrated, page 388:

     Except for an eye-catching sky-blue container boldly and attractively featuring the B.T.C.'s "door-to-door" arrow symbol [...], there were no outlandish colour schemes or lettering styles.

2. (archaic) Foreign; alien.

• (bizarre, strange): See also Thesaurus:strange
• (foreign, alien): See also Thesaurus:foreign

• inlandish

• outlandishly
• outlandishness

• outland