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pe·cu·liar

(pĭ-kylyər)

adj.

1. Not ordinary or usual; odd or strange: noticed a peculiar odor in the room. See Synonyms at strange.

2. Belonging distinctively or primarily to one person, group, or kind; special or unique: a species peculiar to the high desert.

1. A privilege or property that is exclusively one's own.

2. Chiefly British A church or parish under the jurisdiction of a diocese different from that in which it lies.

[Middle English peculier, personal, from Latin pecūliāris, from pecūlium, private property; see peku- in the Appendix of Indo-European roots.]

pe·culiar·ly adv.

Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices

Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:

Indo-European Roots

Semitic Roots

The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.

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