Singular \Sin"gu*lar\, n.
1. An individual instance; a particular. [Obs.] --Dr. H.
More.
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2. (Gram) The singular number, or the number denoting one
person or thing; a word in the singular number.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
Singular \Sin"gu*lar\ (s[i^][ng]"g[-u]*l[~e]r), a. [OE.
singuler, F. singulier, fr. L. singularius, singularis, fr.
singulus single. See Single, a.]
1. Separate or apart from others; single; distinct. [Obs.]
--Bacon.
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And God forbid that all a company
Should rue a singular man's folly. --Chaucer.
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2. Engaged in by only one on a side; single. [Obs.]
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To try the matter thus together in a singular
combat. --Holinshed.
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3. (Logic) Existing by itself; single; individual.
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The idea which represents one . . . determinate
thing, is called a singular idea, whether simple,
complex, or compound. --I. Watts.
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4. (Law) Each; individual; as, to convey several parcels of
land, all and singular.
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5. (Gram.) Denoting one person or thing; as, the singular
number; -- opposed to dual and plural.
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6. Standing by itself; out of the ordinary course; unusual;
uncommon; strange; as, a singular phenomenon.
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So singular a sadness
Must have a cause as strange as the effect.
--Denham.
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7. Distinguished as existing in a very high degree; rarely
equaled; eminent; extraordinary; exceptional; as, a man of
singular gravity or attainments.
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8. Departing from general usage or expectations; odd;
whimsical; -- often implying disapproval or censure.
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His zeal
None seconded, as out of season judged,
Or singular and rash. --Milton.
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To be singular in anything that is wise and worthy,
is not a disparagement, but a praise. --Tillotson.
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9. Being alone; belonging to, or being, that of which there
is but one; unique.
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These busts of the emperors and empresses are all
very scarce, and some of them almost singular in
their kind. --Addison.
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Singular point in a curve (Math.), a point at which the
curve possesses some peculiar properties not possessed by
other points of the curve, as a cusp point, or a multiple
point.
Singular proposition (Logic), a proposition having as its
subject a singular term, or a common term limited to an
individual by means of a singular sign. --Whately.
Singular succession (Civil Law), division among individual
successors, as distinguished from universal succession, by
which an estate descended in intestacy to the heirs in
mass.
Singular term (Logic), a term which represents or stands
for a single individual.
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Syn: Unexampled; unprecedented; eminent; extraordinary;
remarkable; uncommon; rare; unusual; peculiar; strange;
odd; eccentric; fantastic.
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The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48
singular
adj 1: unusual or striking; "a remarkable sight"; "such poise is
singular in one so young" [syn: remarkable]
2: 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, peculiar, queer,
rum, rummy]
3: being a single and separate person or thing; "can the
singular person be understood apart from his culture?";
"every fact in the world might be singular...unlike any
other fact and sole of its kind"-William James
4: grammatical number category referring to a single item or
unit [ant: plural]
5: the single one of its kind; "a singular example"; "the
unique existing example of Donne's handwriting"; "a unique
copy of an ancient manuscript"; "certain types of problems
have unique solutions" [syn: unique]
n : the form of a word that is used to denote a singleton [syn:
singular form] [ant: plural]
WordNet (r) 2.0
154 Moby Thesaurus words for "singular":
a certain, abnormal, absolute, absurd, alone, an, anomalous, any,
any one, appropriate, atomic, atypical, azygous, bizarre, celibate,
certain, characteristic, concrete, conspicuous, crank, crankish,
cranky, crotchety, curious, defined, definite, detailed,
determinate, deviant, deviative, different, discrete, distinct,
distinctive, distinguished, divergent, dotty, dual, eccentric,
either, eminent, erratic, esoteric, especial, exceptional,
exclusive, express, extraordinary, fey, first and last, fixed,
flaky, freaked out, freakish, freaky, funny, idiocratic,
idiosyncratic, impair, important, in character, individual,
indivisible, inner, integral, intimate, intrinsic, irreducible,
irregular, isolated, kinky, kooky, lone, maggoty, marked, minute,
monadic, monistic, notable, noteworthy, number, nutty, odd,
oddball, off, off the wall, offbeat, one, one and only, only,
only-begotten, out, outlandish, outre, outstanding, particular,
passing strange, peculiar, personal, plural, precise, private,
prominent, proper, quaint, queer, quintessential, quirky, rare,
remarkable, respective, screwball, screwy, separate, several,
signal, significant, simple, single, sole, solid, solipsistic,
solitary, solo, special, specific, strange, superior, trial,
true to form, twisted, unanalyzable, uncommon, unconventional,
undivided, unearthly, unexampled, uniform, unimaginable, unique,
unitary, unnatural, unordinary, unpaired, unrepeatable, unrepeated,
unthinkable, unusual, unwonted, wacky, weird, whimsical, whole,
wondrous strange
Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0
SINGULAR, construction. In grammar the singular is used to express only one,
not plural. Johnson.
2. In law, the singular frequently includes the plural. A bequest to
"my nearest relation," for example, will be considered as a bequest to all
the relations in the same degree, who are nearest to the testator. 1 Ves.
sen. 337; 1 Bro. C. C. 293. A bequest made to "my heir," by a person who had
three heirs, will be construed in the plural. 4 Russ. C. C. 384.
3. The same rule obtains in the civil law: In usu juris frequenter uti
nos singulari appellationie, am plura significari vellemus. Dig. 50, l6,
158.
Bouvier's Law Dictionary, Revised 6th Ed (1856)
curious, funny, odd, peculiar, queer, remarkable, rum, rummy, singular form, unique
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