Being “odd” back in the 15th and 16th century was a huge compliment. It meant you were outstanding and illustrious. Here’s some background on the word courtesy of Merriam-Webster Inc.
ODD – Odd comes from the Old Norse word oddi, meaning “point of land.” Points of land so designated in Old Norse being roughly triangular, oddi was over time generalized to mean “triangle.” Since a point of land can be seen as the apex, or tip, of a triangle, with the other two angles forming a pair at the base, the word oddi was extended to mean “odd number”—the item of a threesome left over after the other two items are paired off. Scandinavians dominated northern and central England in the Middle Ages, and oddi was presumably borrowed into English at some point during that era; current evidence has the word first recorded in the early 14th century as the adjective odde, meaning “without a corresponding mate.” By the late 14th century we see evidence of the word meaning “unconforming, irregular.”
Takeaway: Odd is complimentary. Stand out from sameness. If you were odd in the 15th or 16th century, you were “outstanding, illustrious.” Disregard the base and strive to be the apex. In the words of Joe Calloway “Become a Category of One.”
