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peculiare

peculiar

adjective peh-koo-LYAH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin peculiaris, from peculium (private property).

Also means

distinctive

Usage Note

Peculiare is a formal adjective meaning characteristic of or distinctive to a particular person, place, or thing: un aspetto peculiare della cultura italiana. It does not carry the 'strange' or 'odd' connotation that English 'peculiar' sometimes does — a closer English equivalent is 'distinctive' or 'characteristic'. It has only two forms: peculiare (m/f singular), peculiari (m/f plural).

Examples

"Questo dialetto ha caratteristiche peculiari."

Natural Translation

This dialect has distinctive characteristics.

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