propensity
noun

- an inclination or natural tendency to behave in a particular way

- if someone has a propensity to behave in a particular way or prefer a particular thing, they are likely to behave in that way or like that thing

Oxford Languages / Cambridge Dictionary

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WORD ORIGIN

The earliest evidence for "propensity" in the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) dates back to 1550. It derives from the Latin propensus, the past participle of propendere, meaning "to incline" or "to hang forward or down”.

Over time, the meaning of the word has expanded to include a range of connotations, such as a tendency to behave in a certain way, a preference or attraction, or even a natural talent or aptitude.

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PROPENSITIES OF THE FAMOUS

Pythagoras and His Weird Notions
- The ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras founded a religious cult that worshipped numbers. He was a vegetarian who refused to eat beans, believing it was equivalent to cannibalism. Pythagoras also claimed to be the son of the god Apollo and could talk to animals.

Napoleon Bonaparte's Sweet Tooth
- Napoleon had an intense obsession with sugary foods, consuming massive amounts of chocolate, candy, and pastries. He was known to eat over 20 pounds of chocolate per week!

Beethoven's Precise Coffee Ritual
- The German composer Ludwig van Beethoven treasured his morning cup of coffee so much that he made it the same way every day, even going so far as to measure out exactly 60 beans—no more, no less—to grind. He counted the beans not only for the perfect cup, but also out of economic concern, as coffee was quite expensive in early 19th-century Vienna.

Nikola Tesla
- Tesla was known for his love of pigeons and his belief in the power of numbers. He would often feed pigeons in the park and believed that certain numbers, such as 3 and 6, had special powers.

Steve Jobs’ Less is More
- Jobs was known for his minimalist approach to life. He would often wear the same outfit every day to reduce decision fatigue and focus on more important things.

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SYNONYMS

affection/appetite for, affinity, aptitude, aptness, bent, bias, calling, disposition, fascination with, fondness for, gravitation, inclination, itch, leaning, liability, likelihood, liking, partiality (to), passion (for), penchant, predilection, predisposition, preference, proclivity, proneness, PROPENSITY, readiness, relish, susceptibility, tendency, trend

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SMUGGLE OWAD into a sentence, say something like:

“I have a PROPENSITY to work in the early hours, when everyone else is asleep.”

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