Curiosity (from Latin curiosus ‘careful, diligent, curious,’ akin to cura ‘care’) is an emotion related to natural inquisitive behaviour such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in human and many animal species.

The term can also be used to denote the behavior itself being caused by the emotion of curiosity. As this emotion represents a drive to know new things, curiosity is a major driving force behind scientific research and other disciplines of human study.