unique

unique
\ \ [17] Unique comes via French unique from Latin ūnicusonly, sole’. This was derived from ūnusone’, a distant relative of English one. It originally meant simply ‘single, sole’ in English, and the extended sense ‘unequalled, unparalleled’, which has often drawn the hostile criticism of purists (particularly when accompanied by qualifiers such as very or completely), did not emerge until the late 18th century, under French influence.
\ \ Cf.ONE, UNION

Word origins - 2ed. . 2005.

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  • unique — [ ynik ] adj. • 1480; lat. unicus, de unus « un » I ♦ (Sens quantitatif) 1 ♦ (Avant ou après le nom) Qui est un seul, n est pas accompagné d autres du même genre. REM. Unique a plus de force placé après le nom; il ne peut alors être remplacé par… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • unique — 1. This is one of a handful of words that give rise to strong feelings. Its primary meaning is ‘having no like or equal, peculiar to an individual’: • Throughout these fluctuations of fortune, Edith s unique teaching style was getting more finely …   Modern English usage

  • unique — Unique. adj. de tout genre. Seul. Fils unique, frere unique du Roy. unique heritier. le phenix est unique en son espece. vous estes l unique de ce sentiment là. on ne trouve plus ce livre, j en ay l unique exemplaire qui reste. la charge de… …   Dictionnaire de l'Académie française

  • Unique II — Unique II, vorher Unique 2, war ein österreichisches Eurodanceprojekt, das in den 1990er Jahren mit der Coverversion zu Break My Stride von Matthew Wilder auch international große Erfolge feiern konnte. Unique II wurde 1992 von den beiden… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • unique — UK US /juːˈniːk/ adjective ► something that is unique is unusual or the only one of its type: »Fast growing companies are in a unique position to attract the best candidates. »Over the past 15 years, she has made a unique contribution to the… …   Financial and business terms

  • Unique 2 — Unique II, vorher Unique 2, war ein österreichisches Eurodanceprojekt, das in den 1990er Jahren mit der Coverversion zu Break My Stride von Matthew Wilder auch international große Erfolge feiern konnte. Inhaltsverzeichnis 1 Geschichte 2… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Unique — steht für: Jenaer Studierenden Zeitschrift mit den Schwerpunkten Interkulturalität und Politik, siehe Unique (Zeitschrift) ehemaliger Name der Betreibergesellschaft des Flughafens Zürich,siehe Flughafen Zürich AG Unique (Cyclecar), britische… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • unique — unique·ly; unique·ness; bi·unique; unique; …   English syllables

  • unique — [yo͞o nēk′] adj. [Fr < L unicus, single < unus,ONE] 1. one and only; single; sole [a unique specimen] 2. having no like or equal; unparalleled [a unique achievement] 3. highly unusual, extraordinary, rare, etc.: a common usage still… …   English World dictionary

  • Unique — U*nique , a. [F. unique; cf. It. unico; from L. unicus, from unus one. See {One}.] Being without a like or equal; unmatched; unequaled; unparalleled; single in kind or excellence; sole. {U*nique ly}, adv. {U*nique ness}, n. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Unique — U*nique , n. A thing without a like; something unequaled or unparalleled. [R.] [1913 Webster] The phenix, the unique pf birds. De Quincey. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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