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Peculiar ultimately comes from a Latin root that referred to what?

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peculiar

American  

[pi-kyool-yer] / pɪˈkjul jər /

adjective

1. strange; queer; odd.

   peculiar happenings.

   Synonyms:

   bizarre, eccentric

2. uncommon; unusual.

   the peculiar hobby of stuffing and mounting bats.

   Synonyms:

   exceptional, singular, extraordinary

   Antonyms:

   common

3. distinctive in nature or character from others.

4. belonging characteristically (usually followed byto ).

   an expression peculiar to Canadians.

5. belonging exclusively to some person, group, or thing.

   the peculiar properties of a drug.

   Synonyms:

   unique, special, particular, personal, individual

   Antonyms:

   common

6. Astronomy. designating a star or galaxy with special properties that deviates from others of its spectral type or galaxy class.

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noun

1. a property or privilege belonging exclusively or characteristically to a person.

2. British. a particular parish or church that is exempted from the jurisdiction of the ordinary or bishop in whose diocese it lies and is governed by another.

3. Also called arbitraries. British Printing. peculiars. special characters not generally included in standard type fonts, as phonetic symbols, mathematical symbols, etc.

peculiar British  

/ pɪˈkjuːlɪə /

adjective

1. strange or unusual; odd

   a peculiar individual

   a peculiar idea

2. distinct from others; special

3. belonging characteristically or exclusively (to)

   peculiar to North America

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noun

1. Also called: arbitrary. printing a special sort, esp an accented letter

2. Church of England a church or parish that is exempt from the jurisdiction of the ordinary in whose diocese it lies

Synonym Usage

See strange.

Other Word Forms

• unpeculiar
  adjective
• peculiarly
  adverb
• unpeculiarly
  adverb

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Etymology

Origin of peculiar

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English; from Latin pecūliāris “as one's own,” equivalent to pecūli(um) “property” (derivative of pecū “flock, farm animals”; akin to pecus “cattle” ( see fee)) + -āris -ar ¹

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Explanation

Something peculiar is notably unusual. If your friend starts saying strange things you don't understand, ask her why she's suddenly become peculiar. Peculiar comes from the Latin peculiaris, meaning one's own, or personal. In English, it originally meant belonging to one person, private, like your fondness for your peculiar hairbrush. It also had the meaning of something unlike others, special, or remarkable. Eventually we mostly stopped using it for belongings, instead using peculiar to mean unusual or odd.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

peculiar

And the warrant of their inventive or fictive nature is precisely their peculiar storybook scenography.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

"It's a very peculiar state, and, although there have been experimental hints, there has been no direct confirmation of the phase's existence."

From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026

Ghost kitchens asked diners to accept a peculiar new distance between the restaurant being advertised and the human reality of the meal.

From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026

The hit man’s quest to track down nursing mothers lends “Your Mother” a peculiar but propulsive forward momentum while neatly indicting the macho stereotypes that usually accompany such action movies.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2026

The crystal ball was crowded with humans in peculiar caps and wooden shoes.

From "Secrets at Sea" by Richard Peck

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Related Words

• curious
• eccentric
• extraordinary
• funny
• idiosyncratic
• offbeat
• outlandish
• quaint
• singular
• strange
• unconventional
• unusual
• wacky
• weird
• wonderful

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