Definition of "anomaly" []

• Deviation or departure from the normal or common order, form, or rule. (noun)
• One that is peculiar, irregular, abnormal, or difficult to classify: "Both men are anomalies: they have . . . likable personalities but each has made his reputation as a heavy” ( David Pauly). (noun)
• Astronomy The angular deviation, as observed from the sun, of a planet from its perihelion. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "There have been 24 convictions in three years of focused investigation, hence the term anomaly rather than problem."
• "Do I need to explain what the 500 mb height is, or the term anomaly correlation?"
• "AUS.IN GOULD, COMMANDER, U.S. COAS. GUARD: What it will enable us to do is identify what we refer to as the anomaly, what's unusual in the port, what doesn't belong."