喜樂美語

One way to hold this word: something belongs to just this one thing and to nothing else. That is the older picture — a feature that is *only* here. From there the word slides: if a thing has a quality nobody else has, it stands apart from everything around it, and standing apart is exactly what we mean when we say something feels odd. So 'only this one has it' quietly turns into 'this one is strange.'

某個特點「只屬於這一個，別的都沒有」。這是比較舊的那張圖——一樣東西獨有的東西。從這裡開始滑動：如果一個東西有著別人都沒有的特質，它就在周圍的一切裡顯得格格不入；而「跟旁邊都不一樣」，正是我們說一件事「怪怪的」時真正的意思。所以「只有它才有」就悄悄地變成了「它很奇怪」。今天日常英文裡，反而是「怪」這層最常用，「特有」那層多半只出現在 be peculiar to 這個固定講法裡——但知道兩層本來是同一張圖，這個字就不再像是兩個字了。

登入就可以看每一支怎麼連回核心畫面。

原始詞典資料6 筆記錄

以下是外部詞典記錄的用法，摘錄並精簡格式，我們還沒有寫成教學內容。上面的說明才是我們自己寫的；有些用法可能上面已經講過了。

peculiaradj/pɪˈkjuː.li.ə/

  • 1

    Out of the ordinary; odd; strange; unusual.

    • The sky had a peculiar appearance before the storm.
    • It would be rather peculiar to see a kangaroo hopping down a city street.
  • 2

    Common or usual for a certain place or circumstance; specific or particular.

    • Kangaroos are peculiar to Australia.
    • And it was peculiar in their Temper, that they were fonder of what they could get by Rapine or Stealth at a greater diſtance, than much better Food provided for them at home.
  • 3

    datedOne's own; belonging solely or especially to an individual; not shared or possessed by others.

    • Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
    • hymns […] that Christianity hath peculiar unto itself
  • 4

    datedParticular; individual; special; appropriate.

    • while each peculiar power forgoes his wonted seat
    • My fate is Juno's most peculiar care.

peculiarnoun/pɪˈkjuː.li.ə/

  • 1

    That which is peculiar; a sole or exclusive property; a prerogative; a characteristic.

    • before 1716, Robert South, Twelve Sermons If anything can legalize revenge, it should be injury from an extremely obliged person; but revenge is so absolutely the peculiar of heaven.
  • 2

    an ecclesiastical district, parish, chapel or church outside the jurisdiction of the bishop of the diocese in which it is situated.

摘錄自 英文維基詞典 English Wiktionary，已精簡格式；依 CC BY-SA 4.0 授權使用，改動後的內容同樣以此授權提供。