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peculiarmore about peculiar

peculiar


  5  definitions  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Peculiar  \Pe*cul"iar\,  n. 
  1.  That  which  is  peculiar;  a  sole  or  exclusive  property;  a 
  prerogative;  a  characteristic. 
 
  Revenge  is  .  .  .  the  peculiar  of  Heaven.  --South. 
 
  2.  (Eng.  Canon  Law)  A  particular  parish  or  church  which  is 
  exempt  from  the  jurisdiction  of  the  ordinary. 
 
  {Court  of  Peculiars}  (Eng.  Law),  a  branch  of  the  Court  of 
  Arches  having  cognizance  of  the  affairs  of  peculiars. 
  --Blackstone. 
 
  {Dean  of  peculiars}.  See  under  {Dean},  1. 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Peculiar  \Pe*cul"iar\,  a.  [L.  peculiaris  fr  peculium  private 
  property,  akin  to  pecunia  money:  cf  OF  peculier.  See 
  {Pecuniary}.] 
  1.  One's  own  belonging  solely  or  especially  to  an 
  individual;  not  possessed  by  others  of  private,  personal, 
  or  characteristic  possession  and  use  not  owned  in  common 
  or  in  participation. 
 
  And  purify  unto  himself  a  peculiar  people.  --Titus 
  ii  14. 
 
  Hymns  .  .  .  that  Christianity  hath  peculiar  unto 
  itself  --Hooker. 
 
  2.  Particular;  individual;  special;  appropriate. 
 
  While  each  peculiar  power  forgoes  his  wonted  seat. 
  --Milton. 
 
  My  fate  is  Juno's  most  peculiar  care  --Dryden. 
 
  3.  Unusual;  singular;  rare  strange;  as  the  sky  had  a 
  peculiarappearance 
 
  Syn:  {Peculiar},  {Special},  {Especial}. 
 
  Usage:  Peculiar  is  from  the  Roman  peculium,  which  was  a  thing 
  emphatically  and  distinctively  one's  own  and  hence 
  was  dear.  The  former  sense  always  belongs  to  peculiar 
  (as,  a  peculiar  style,  peculiar  manners,  etc.),  and 
  usually  so  much  of  the  latter  as  to  involve  feelings 
  of  interest;  as  peculiar  care  watchfulness, 
  satisfaction,  etc  Nothing  of  this  kind  belongs  to 
  special  and  especial.  They  mark  simply  the  relation  of 
  species  to  genus,  and  denote  that  there  is  something 
  in  this  case  more  than  ordinary;  as  a  special  act  of 
  Congress;  especial  pains,  etc 
 
  Beauty,  which  either  walking  or  asleep,  Shot 
  forth  peculiar  graces.  --Milton. 
 
  For  naught  so  vile  that  on  the  earth  doth  live, 
  But  to  the  earth  some  special  good  doth  give 
  --Shak. 
 
  From  WordNet  r  1.6  [wn]: 
 
  peculiar 
  adj  1:  beyond  or  deviating  from  the  usual  or  expected;  "a  curious 
  hybrid  accent";  "her  speech  has  a  funny  twang";  "they 
  have  some  funny  ideas  about  war";  "had  an  odd  name"; 
  "the  peculiar  aromatic  odor  of  cloves";  "something 
  definitely  queer  about  this  town";  "what  a  rum 
  fellow";  "singular  behavior"  [syn:  {curious},  {funny}, 
  {odd},  {queer},  {rum},  {rummy},  {singular}] 
  2:  unique  or  specific  to  a  person  or  thing  or  category;  "the 
  particular  demands  of  the  job";  "has  a  paraticular 
  preference  for  Chinese  art";  "a  peculiar  bond  of  sympathy 
  between  them";  "an  expression  peculiar  to  Canadians"; 
  "rights  peculiar  to  the  rich";  "the  special  features  of  a 
  computer";  "my  own  special  chair"  [syn:  {particular(a)},  {peculiar(a)}, 
  {special(a)}] 
  3:  markedly  different  from  the  usual;  "a  peculiar  hobby  of 
  stuffing  and  mounting  bats";  "a  man...feels  it  a  peculiar 
  insult  to  be  taunted  with  cowardice  by  a  woman"-Virginia 
  Woolf 
  4:  characteristic  of  one  only;  distinctive  or  special;  "the 
  peculiar  character  of  the  Government  of  the  U.S."- 
  R.B.Taney  [syn:  {peculiar(a)}] 
 
  From  U.S.  Gazetteer  (1990)  [gazetteer]: 
 
  Peculiar,  MO  (city,  FIPS  56756) 
  Location:  38.72309  N,  94.45786  W 
  Population  (1990):  1777  (673  housing  units) 
  Area:  3.5  sq  km  (land),  0.0  sq  km  (water) 
  Zip  code(s):  64078 
 
  From  Easton's  1897  Bible  Dictionary  [easton]: 
 
  Peculiar 
  as  used  in  the  phrase  "peculiar  people"  in  1  Pet.  2:9,  is 
  derived  from  the  Lat.  peculium,  and  denotes,  as  rendered  in  the 
  Revised  Version  ("a  people  for  God's  own  possession"),  a  special 
  possession  or  property.  The  church  is  the  property"  of  God,  his 
  "purchased  possession"  (Eph.  1:14;  R.V.,  "God's  own 
  possession"). 
 




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