Sui
[swee]
- a dynasty ruling in China a.d. 589–618.
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sui generis
[soo -i ge-ne-ris; English soo-ahy jen-er-is, soo-ee]
- of his, her, its, or their own kind; unique.
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Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for sui
Contemporary Examples
“It is well established that a fetus is not a ‘person’; rather it is a sui generis organism,” the ruling stated.
Obama is something of a sui generis figure, yes, but I have my doubts.
Cosell was not only sui generis, he also faded quickly from public consciousness once he was pushed off the air.
Journalists have a soft spot for him, even avowedly liberal ones like me, because if nothing else he is sui generis.
Instead, she went to a gas station, where by chance, Sui Mak's husband, Bing, spotted her.
Historical Examples
He wished to judge for himself about these emanations, sui generis.
The English at the North PoleJules Verne
We cross the Atlantic, and among the Greenlanders discover a myth, which is sui generis.
Moon LoreTimothy Harley
It is sui generis; we know of none that can pretend to compare with it.
Jungle FolkDouglas Dewar
Knowledge is sui generis, and, as such, cannot be explained.
Kant's Theory of KnowledgeHarold Arthur Prichard
Knowledge is sui generis and therefore a 'theory' of it is impossible.
Kant's Theory of KnowledgeHarold Arthur Prichard
sui generis
- unique
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Word Origin
Latin, literally: of its own kind
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for sui
sui generis
1787, Latin, literally "of one's own kind, peculiar." First element from sui, genitive of suus "his, her, its, one's," from Old Latin sovos, from PIE root *swe-, pronoun of the third person (see idiom).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
sui generis
[(sooh-ee, sooh-eye jen-uh-ris)]
A person or thing that is unique, in a class by itself: “She is an original artist; each of her paintings is sui generis.” From Latin, meaning “of its own kind.”
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The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.