# peculiar
## English
### Etymology

From Latin pecūliāris (“one's own”), from pecūlium (“private property”), from pecus (“cattle”).

### Pronunciation

* (UK) IPA: /pɪˈkjuː.li.ə/, /pəˈkjuː.li.ə/
** Audio (UK):(file)
* (US) IPA: /pɪˈkjul.jɚ/, /pəˈkjul.jɚ/
** Audio (US):(file)
* (General Australian) IPA: /pɪˈkjʉː.li.ə/

### Adjective

peculiar (comparative more peculiar, superlative most peculiar)
* Out of the ordinary; odd; strange; unusual.
    Synonyms: odd, strange, uncommon, unusual
    Antonyms: common, mediocre, ordinary, usual
    The sky had a peculiar appearance before the storm.
    It would be rather peculiar to see a kangaroo hopping down a city street.
** 1800, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Deseret Weekly, volume 41, page 379:I saw nothing peculiar in his conduct, and thought that his arrangement of the ballot box was perfect.
** 2001, Jack Schaefer, Wendell Minor, Shane:"Wasn't it peculiar," I heard mother say, "How he wouldn't talk about himself?" "Peculiar?" said father. "Well, yes, in a way." "Everything about him is peculiar." Mother sounded as if she was stirred up and interested. "I never saw a man quite like him before."
** 2008, Stephen Arnott, Peculiar Proverbs: Weird Words of Wisdom from Around the World:
* Common or usual for a certain place or circumstance; specific or particular.
    Synonym: specific
    Antonyms: common, general, universal
    Kangaroos are peculiar to Australia.
** 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Author’s Great Love of His Native Country. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part IV (A Voyage to the Houyhnhnms), page 262:And it was peculiar in their Temper, that they were fonder of what they could get by Rapine or Stealth at a greater diſtance, than much better Food provided for them at home.
** 1855, Meiklejohn, John Miller Dow, transl., Critique of Pure Reason, volume 1, division 2, translation of Critik der reinen Vernunft by Immanuel Kant:This philosopher found his ideas especially in all that is practical,$^{[29]}$ that is, which rests upon freedom, which in its turn ranks under cognitions that are the peculiar product of reason.
** 1863, Thomas Huxley, Collected Essays:As soon as that operation has taken place, the food is passed down to the stomach, and there it is mixed with the chemical fluid called the gastric juice, a substance which has the peculiar property of making soluble and dissolving out the nutritious matter in the grass, and leaving behind those parts which are not nutritious;
** 1895, Alfred Russel Wallace, “XX: Anomalous Islands: Celebes”, in Island Life:But of late years extensive Tertiary deposits of Miocene age have been discovered, showing that it is not a mere congeries of volcanoes; it [Iceland] is connected with the British Islands and with Greenland by seas less than 500 fathoms deep; and it possesses a few mammalia, one of which is peculiar, and at least three peculiar species of birds.
* (dated) One's own; belonging solely or especially to an individual; not shared or possessed by others.
** 1769, King James Bible, Titus ii. 14:Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
** 1597, Richard Hooker, Of the Lawes of Ecclesiastical Politie:hymns […] that Christianity hath peculiar unto itself
* (dated) Particular; individual; special; appropriate.
** 1629, John Milton, On the Morning of Christ's Nativity:while each peculiar power forgoes his wonted seat
** 1697, Dryden, John, transl., Aeneid, translation of Aeneis by Virgil:My fate is Juno's most peculiar care.

#### Synonyms

* (out of the ordinary): see also Thesaurus:strange
* (common or usual in a particular place or circumstance): see also Thesaurus:specific

#### Antonyms

* (antonym(s) of “out of the ordinary”): see also Thesaurus:normal
* (antonym(s) of “common or usual in a particular place or circumstance”): see also Thesaurus:generic

#### Derived terms

* chemically peculiar star
* funny peculiar
* peculiaries
* peculiar institution
* peculiarity
* peculiarize
* peculiarly
* peculiar motion
* peculiarness
* Peculiar People
* peculiar velocity

#### Translations

    The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

### Noun

peculiar (plural peculiars)
* That which is peculiar; a sole or exclusive property; a prerogative; a characteristic.
** before 1716, Robert South, Twelve Sermons
    If anything can legalize revenge, it should be injury from an extremely obliged person; but revenge is so absolutely the peculiar of heaven.
* (UK, canon law) an ecclesiastical district, parish, chapel or church outside the jurisdiction of the bishop of the diocese in which it is situated.

### See also

* peculiar on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
* Peculiar in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)

### References

* ↑ Funk, W. J., Word origins and their romantic stories, New York, Wilfred Funk, Inc.

### Anagrams

* pericula

## Catalan
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pecūliāris.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: (Central) [pə.ku.liˈar]
* IPA: (Balearic) [pə.ku.liˈa]
* IPA: (Valencia) [pe.ku.liˈaɾ]

### Adjective

peculiar m or f (masculine and feminine plural peculiars)
* peculiar

#### Derived terms

* peculiarment

#### Related terms

* peculiaritat

### Further reading

* “peculiar” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
* “peculiar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025
* “peculiar” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
* “peculiar” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

## Portuguese
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pecūliāris.

### Pronunciation

* (Brazil) IPA: /pe.ku.liˈaʁ/ [pe.ku.lɪˈah], (faster pronunciation) /pe.kuˈljaʁ/ [pe.kuˈljah]
* (Brazil) IPA: /pe.ku.liˈaʁ/ [pe.ku.lɪˈah], (faster pronunciation) /pe.kuˈljaʁ/ [pe.kuˈljah]
** (São Paulo) IPA: /pe.ku.liˈaɾ/ [pe.ku.lɪˈaɾ], (faster pronunciation) /pe.kuˈljaɾ/
** (Rio de Janeiro) IPA: /pe.ku.liˈaʁ/ [pe.ku.lɪˈaχ], (faster pronunciation) /pe.kuˈljaʁ/ [pe.kuˈljaχ]
** (Southern Brazil) IPA: /pe.ku.liˈaɻ/ [pe.ku.lɪˈaɻ], (faster pronunciation) /pe.kuˈljaɻ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /pɨ.kuˈljaɾ/
* (Portugal) IPA: /pɨ.kuˈljaɾ/
** (Southern Portugal) IPA: /pɨ.kuˈlja.ɾi/
* Hyphenation: pe‧cu‧li‧ar

### Adjective

peculiar m or f (plural peculiares)
* peculiar; unusual; strange
    Synonyms: esquisito, estranho
* peculiar (common or usual for a particular place or circumstance)
    Synonym: particular

#### Related terms

* peculiaridade

### Further reading

* “peculiar”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2025
* “peculiar”, in Dicionário inFormal (in Portuguese), 2006–2025
* “peculiar” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913
* “peculiar”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2025
* “peculiar”, in Michaelis Dicionário Brasileiro da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), São Paulo: Editora Melhoramentos, 2015–2025
* “peculiar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2025

## Spanish
### Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pecūliāris.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /pekuˈljaɾ/ [pe.kuˈljaɾ]
* Rhymes: -aɾ
* Syllabification: pe‧cu‧liar

### Adjective

peculiar m or f (masculine and feminine plural peculiares)
* peculiar

#### Derived terms

* peculiarmente

### Further reading

* “peculiar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 2024 December 10