Peculiar (meaning)

The adjective peculiar, whose common meaning in everyday English, is 'odd', 'unusual', has an interesting etymological history (below). It has some odd meanings too, of which some users of AWE, particularly lawyers, historians and theologians may want to be aware.

• "B 2. A trait or quality exclusive to or characteristic of an individual or a thing; a distinguishing feature; a peculiarity. Now arch[aic] and rare" (OED)
• royal peculiar
  • n. a chapel exempt from any jurisdiction but that of the sovereign
  • "In contracts of service with the Royal Family the employee usually undertakes not to make any such disclosures, not only during his term of service, but even when it is over and done with. This is not a royal peculiar. Whether the employer is royal or common the courts can and do enforce these undertakings by an injunction" Observer 8 May 1966, cited OED.
• A papal peculiar is
• peculiar institution
• peculiar people

Etymological note: the ultimate root lies in Latin pecus, 'a flock' (in later Latin, of sheep) or 'herd' (originally) of cattle. From this was formed the noun peculium, which first meant 'a man's own herd or flock', and by extension 'one's own property': savings; a wife's settlement (her own property, safe from her husband); the goods and money a master allowed a slave to hold as property; independent property held by children, under the authority, or permission, of the paterfamilias; etc. The word peculium (plural peculia) is still occasionally to be found in English, mostly in writing about Law, history and so on :it gave the adjective pecÅ«liāris. The sense of peculiar as 'to do with one's private property (peculium)' survived in English into the 17th century.

Peculiar' is related to

• • the verb 'to peculate', 'to embezzle', 'to defraud of [money]', which was an eighteenth century use in English of the Latin verb pecÅ«lārÄ«, and is now a word to be found (and used) in fairly formal contexts.
  • Pecuniary