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1 Usage note : that
In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede ; that is translated by ce + masculine singular noun ( ce monsieur), cet + masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ ( cet homme) and cette + feminine singular noun ( cette femme) ; those is translated by ces.Note, however, that the above translations are also used for the English this (plural these). So when it is necessary to insist on that as opposed to another or others of the same sort, the adverbial tag -là is added to the noun:I prefer THAT version= je préfère cette version-làFor particular usages, see the entry that.As a pronoun meaning that one, those onesIn French, pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are referring to. So that is translated by celui-là for a masculine noun, celle-là for a feminine noun and those is translated by ceux-là for a masculine noun and celles-là for a feminine noun:I think I like that one (dress) best= je crois que je préfère celle-làFor other uses of that, those as pronouns (e.g. who’s that?) and for adverbial use (e.g. that much, that many) there is no straightforward translation, so see the entry that for examples of usage.When used as a relative pronoun, that is translated by qui when it is the subject of the verb and by que when it is the object:the man that stole the car= l’homme qui a volé la voiturethe film that I saw= le film que j’ai vuRemember that in the present perfect and past perfect tenses, the past participle will agreewith the noun to which que as object refers:the apples that I bought= les pommes que j’ai achetéesWhen that is used as a relative pronoun with a preposition, it is translated by lequel when standing for a masculine singular noun, by laquelle when standing for a feminine singular noun, by lesquels when standing for a masculine plural noun and by lesquelles when standing for a feminine plural noun:the chair that I was sitting on= la chaise sur laquelle j’étais assisethe children that I bought the books for= les enfants pour lesquels j’ai acheté les livresRemember that in cases where the English preposition used would normally be translated by à in French (e.g. to, at), the translation of the whole (prep + rel pron) will be auquel, à laquelle, auxquels, auxquelles:the girls that I was talking to= les filles auxquelles je parlaisSimilarly, where the English preposition used would normally be translated by de in French (e.g. of, from), the translation of the whole (prep + rel pron) will be dont in all cases:the Frenchman that I received a letter from= le Français dont j’ai reçu une lettreWhen used as a conjunction, that can almost always be translated by que (qu’ before a vowel or mute ‘h’):she said that she would do it= elle a dit qu’elle le ferait -
2 Usage note : the
In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede ; the is translated by le + masculine singular noun ( le chien), by la + feminine singular noun ( la chaise), by l’ + masculine or feminine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ (l’auteur, l’homme, l’absence, l’histoire) and by les + plural noun (les hommes, les femmes).When the is used after a preposition in English, the two words (prep + the) are often translated by one word in French. If the preposition would normally be translated by de in French (of, about, from etc.) the prep + the is translated by du + masculine noun ( du chien), by de la + feminine noun ( de la femme), by de l’ + singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h ’ (de l’auteur, de l’histoire) and by des + plural noun (des hommes, des femmes). If the preposition would usually be translated by à (at, to etc.) the prep + the is translated according to the number and gender of the noun, by au ( au chien), à la ( à la femme), à l’ (à l’enfant), aux (aux hommes, aux femmes).Other than this, there are few problems in translating the into French.The following cases are, however, worth remembering as not following exactly the pattern of the English:the good, the poor etc.= les bons, les pauvres etc.Charles the First, Elizabeth the Second etc.= Charles Premier, Elizabeth Deux etc.she’s THE violinist of the century= c’est LA violoniste du siècle or c’est la plus grande violoniste du sièclethe Tudors, the Batemans etc.= les Tudor, les Bateman etc.For expressions such as the more, the better, see the entry the.This dictionary contains usage notes on such topics as weight measurement, days of the week, rivers, illnesses, aches and pains, the human body, and musical instruments, many of which use the. -
3 Usage note : this
In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede ; this (plural these) is translated by ce + masculine singular noun ( ce monsieur) BUT by cet + masculine singular noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ (cet arbre, cet homme), by cette + feminine singular noun ( cette femme) and by ces + plural noun (ces livres, ces histoires).Note, however, that the above translations are also used for the English that (plural those). So when it is necessary to insist on this as opposed to another or others of the same sort, the adverbial tag -ci, giving the idea of this one here, is added to the noun:I prefer THIS version= je préfère cette version-ciFor particular usages see the entry this.This dictionary contains usage notes on such topics as time units, days of the week and months of the year.As a pronoun meaning this oneIn French, pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are referring to. So this is translated by celui-ci for a masculine noun, celle-ci for a feminine noun ; those is translated by ceux-ci for a masculine plural noun, celles-ci for a feminine plural noun:of all the dresses this is the prettiest one= de toutes les robes celle-ci est la plus jolieFor other uses of this used as a pronoun (who’s this?, this is my brother, this is wrong etc.) and for this used as an adverb ( it was this big etc.), see the entry this. -
4 his
his [hɪz]• my hands are clean, his are dirty mes mains sont propres, les siennes sont sales► of his* * *Note: In French determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify. So his when used as a determiner is translated by son + masculine singular noun (son chien), by sa + feminine singular noun (sa maison) BUT by son + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (son assiette) and by ses + plural noun (ses enfants)In French possessive pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are standing for. When used as a possessive pronoun his is translated by le sien, la sienne, les siens or les siennes according to what is being referred to[hɪz] 1.determiner son/sa/ses2.all the drawings were good but his was the best — tous les dessins étaient bons mais le sien était le meilleur
the blue car is his — la voiture bleue est la sienne, la voiture bleue est à lui
I'm a colleague of his — je suis un/-e de ses collègues
that dog of his — péj son sale chien (colloq)
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5 his
❢ In French determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify. So his when used as a determiner is translated by son + masculine singular noun (son chien), by sa + feminine singular noun (sa maison) BUT by son + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (son assiette) and by ses + plural noun (ses enfants).When his is stressed, à lui is added after the noun: his house = sa maison à lui. For his used with parts of the body ⇒ The human body. In French possessive pronouns reflect the gender and number of the noun they are standing for. When used as a possessive pronoun his is translated by le sien, la sienne, les siens or les siennes according to what is being referred to. For examples and particular usages see the entry below.A det son/sa/ ses.B pron all the drawings were good but his was the best tous les dessins étaient bons mais le sien était le meilleur ; the blue car is his la voiture bleue est la sienne, la voiture bleue est à lui ; it's not his ce n'est pas à lui ; which house is his? sa maison c'est laquelle? ; I'm a colleague of his je suis un/-e de ses collègues ; I saw him with that dog of his péj je l'ai vu avec son sale chien ○ ; his was not an easy task fml sa tâche n'était pas facile ; the money was not his to give away il n'avait pas à donner cet argent. -
6 Usage note : all
When all is used to mean everything, it is translated by tout:is that all?= c’est tout?all is well= tout va bienWhen all is followed by a that clause, all that is translated by tout ce qui when it is the subject of the verb and tout ce que when it is the object:all that remains to be done= tout ce qui reste à fairethat was all (that) he said= c’est tout ce qu’il a ditafter all (that) we’ve done= après tout ce que nous avons faitwe’re doing all (that) we can= nous faisons tout ce que nous pouvonsall that you need= tout ce dont tu as besoinWhen all is used to refer to a specified group of people or objects, the translation reflects the number and gender of the people or objects referred to ; tous is used for a group of people or objects of masculine or mixed or unspecified gender and toutes for a group of feminine gender:we were all delighted= nous étions tous ravis‘where are the cups?’ ‘they’re all in the kitchen’= ‘où sont les tasses?’ ‘elles sont toutes dans la cuisine’For more examples and particular usages see the entry all.As a determinerIn French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede. So all is translated by tout + masculine singular noun:all the time= tout le tempsby toute + feminine singular noun:all the family= toute la familleby tous + masculine or mixed gender plural noun:all men= tous les hommesall the books= tous les livresand by toutes + feminine plural noun:all women= toutes les femmesall the chairs= toutes les chaisesFor more examples and particular usages see the entry all.As an adverbmy coat’s all dirty= mon manteau est tout salehe was all alone= il était tout seulthey were all alone= ils étaient tout seulsthe girls were all excited= les filles étaient tout excitéesHowever, when the adjective that follows is in the feminine and begins with a consonant the translation is toute/toutes:she was all alone= elle était toute seulethe bill is all wrong= la facture est toute faussethe girls were all alone= les filles étaient toutes seulesFor more examples and particular usages see the entry all. -
7 Usage note : your
In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify. So your, when addressing one person, is translated by votre, or more familiarly ton, + masculine singular noun ( votre chien or ton chien), by votre or ta + feminine singular noun ( votre maison or ta maison) and by vos or tes + plural noun ( vos enfants or tes enfants). Note that ton is used with a feminine noun beginnning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ ( ton adresse).When addressing more than one person, the translation is votre + singular noun and vos + plural noun. When your is stressed, à vous or à toi is added after the noun:your house= votre maison à vousWhen used impersonally to mean one’s, your is translated by son, sa or ses when you is translated by on:you buy your tickets at the door= on prend ses billets à l’entréeThe translation after an impersonal verb in French is son, sa, ses:you have to buy your tickets at the door= il faut prendre ses billets à l’entréeNote, however, the following:sweets are bad for your teeth= les bonbons sont mauvais pour les dentsyour average student= l’étudiant moyenFor your used with parts of the body ⇒ The human body. -
8 my
my [maɪ]* * *Note: In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun that follows. So my is translated by mon + masculine singular noun (mon chien), ma + feminine singular noun (ma maison) BUT by mon + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (mon assiette) and by mes + plural noun (mes enfants)For my used with parts of the body see the usage note[maɪ] 1.1) gen mon/ma/mes2) ( used emphatically)2. -
9 my
my❢ In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun that follows. So my is translated by mon + masculine singular noun (mon chien), ma + feminine singular noun (ma maison) BUT by mon + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h (mon assiette) and by mes + plural noun (mes enfants). When my is stressed, à moi is added after the noun: my house = ma maison à moi.For my used with parts of the body see the Usage Note ⇒ The human body.A det1 gen mon/ma/mes ;2 ( used emphatically) MY house ma maison à moi. -
10 Usage note : her
When used as a direct object pronoun, her is translated by la (l’ before a vowel). Note that the object pronoun normally comes before the verb in French and that, in compound tenses like perfect and past perfect, the past participle agrees with the pronoun:I know her= je la connaisI’ve already seen her= je l’ai déjà vueIn imperatives, the direct object pronoun is translated by la and comes after the verb:catch her!= attrape-la!(note the hyphen)I’ve given her the book= je lui ai donné le livreI’ve given it to her= je le lui ai donnéIn imperatives, the indirect object pronoun is translated by lui and comes after the verb:phone her= téléphone-luigive them to her= donne-les-lui(note the hyphens)he did it for her= il l’a fait pour elleit’s her= c’est elleWhen translating her as a determiner ( her house etc.) remember that in French possessive adjectives, like most other adjectives, agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify ; her is translated by son + masculine singular noun ( son chien), sa + feminine singular noun ( sa maison) BUT son + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute ‘h’ ( son assiette), and ses + plural noun ( ses enfants).For her used with parts of the body ⇒ The human body. -
11 Usage note : you
In English you is used to address everybody, whereas French has two forms: tu and vous. The usual word to use when you are speaking to anyone you do not know very well is vous. This is sometimes called the polite form and is used for the subject, object, indirect object and emphatic pronoun:would you like some coffee?= voulez-vous du café?can I help you?= est-ce que je peux vous aider?what can I do for you?= qu’est-ce que je peux faire pour vous?The more informal pronoun tu is used between close friends and family members, within groups of children and young people, by adults when talking to children and always when talking to animals ; tu is the subject form, the direct and indirect object form is te (t’ before a vowel) and the form for emphatic use or use after a preposition is toi:would you like some coffee?= veux-tu du café?can I help you?= est-ce que je peux t’aider?there’s a letter for you= il y a une lettre pour toiAs a general rule, when talking to a French person use vous, wait to see how they address you and follow suit. It is safer to wait for the French person to suggest using tu. The suggestion will usually be phrased as on se tutoie? or on peut se tutoyer?Note that tu is only a singular pronoun and vous is the plural form of tu.Remember that in French the object and indirect object pronouns are always placed before the verb:she knows you= elle vous connaît or elle te connaîtIn compound tenses like the present perfect and the past perfect, the past participle agrees in number and gender with the direct object:I saw you on Saturday(to one male: polite form)= je vous ai vu samedi(to one female: polite form)= je vous ai vue samedi(to one male: informal form)= je t’ai vu samedi(to one female: informal form)= je t’ai vue samedi(to two or more people, male or mixed)= je vous ai vus samedi(to two or more females)= je vous ai vues samediWhen you is used impersonally as the more informal form of one, it is translated by on for the subject form and by vous or te for the object form, depending on whether the comment is being made amongst friends or in a more formal context:you can do as you like here= on peut faire ce qu’on veut icithese mushrooms can make you ill= ces champignons peuvent vous rendre malade or ces champignons peuvent te rendre maladeyou could easily lose your bag here= on pourrait facilement perdre son sac iciNote that your used with on is translated by son/sa/ses according to the gender and number of the noun that follows.For verb forms with vous, tu and on see the French verb tables.For particular usages see the entry you. -
12 one's
Note: In French determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify. So when one's is used as a determiner it is translated by son + masculine singular noun ( son argent), by sa + feminine noun ( sa voiture) BUT by son + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h ( son assiette) and by ses + plural noun ( ses enfants)When one's is used as a reflexive pronoun it is translated by se (or s' before a vowel or mute h): to brush one's teeth = se brosser les dents[wʌnz] 1.= one is, one has2.determiner son/sa/sesone's books/friends — ses livres/amis
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13 our
our [ˈaʊər]* * *['aʊə(r), ɑː(r)]Note: In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify. So our is translated by notre + masculine or feminine singular noun (notre chien, notre maison) and nos + plural noun (nos enfants)determiner notre/nos -
14 second
I.1. adjective• to be second in the queue être le (or la) deuxième dans la queue• for the or a second time pour la deuxième fois• San Francisco is second only to New York as the tourist capital of the States San Francisco se place tout de suite après New York comme capitale touristique des États-Unis ; → sixthb. ( = additional) deuxièmec. ( = another) second2. adverb• to come second (in poll, league table, race, election) arriver deuxième (or second)• he was placed second il s'est classé deuxième (or second)b. ( = secondly) deuxièmement3. noun• he came a good or close second il a été battu de justessec. (British University) ≈ licence f avec mention• he got an upper/a lower second ≈ il a eu sa licence avec mention bien/assez bien4. plural nouna. [+ motion] appuyer ; [+ speaker] appuyer la motion de6. compounds• it is the second-best c'est ce qu'il y a de mieux après ; ( = poor substitute) c'est un pis-aller adjective• it's his second-best novel c'est presque son meilleur roman adverb• to come off second-best se faire battre ► second chamber noun (Parliament) deuxième chambre f• the second chamber (British) la Chambre haute la Chambre des lords ► second-class adjective [ticket] de seconde (classe) ; [food, goods] de qualité inférieure• second-class degree (University) ≈ licence f avec mention• second-class mail (British) courrier m à tarif réduit ; (US) imprimés mpl périodiques adverb• to travel second-class voyager en seconde• to send sth second-class envoyer qch en courrier ordinaire ► second cousin noun petit (e) cousin(e) m(f) (issu(e) de germains)[+ sb's reaction] essayer d'anticiper• to second-guess sb essayer d'anticiper ce que qn va faire ► second-in-command noun second m, adjoint m• to be second in command être deuxième dans la hiérarchie ► second language noun (in education system) première langue f (étrangère) ; (of individual) deuxième langue f• the second person singular/plural la deuxième personne du singulier/du pluriel ► second-rate adjective [goods] de qualité inférieure ; [work] médiocre ; [writer] de seconde zone• to have second sight avoir le don de double vue ► second string noun (US Sport) ( = player) remplaçant (e) m(f) ; ( = team) équipe f de réserve• not to give sb/sth a second thought ne plus penser à qn/qch• to have second thoughts (about sth) ( = change mind) changer d'avis (à propos de qch)• to have second thoughts about doing sth ( = be doubtful) se demander si l'on doit faire qch ; ( = change mind) changer d'avis et décider de ne pas faire qch ► second wind noun━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━✦ L'accent de l'anglais second tombe sur la première syllabe: ˈsekənd, sauf lorsqu'il s'agit du verbe dans le sens de détacher, qui se prononce sɪˈkɒnd, avec l'accent sur la seconde syllabe.━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━II.second2 [ˈsekənd]• just a second! une seconde !* * *1. ['sekənd]1) ( unit of time) also Music, Mathematics, Physics seconde f; ( instant) instant m2) ( ordinal number) deuxième mf, second/-e m/fX was the most popular in the survey, but Y came a close second — dans le sondage X était le plus populaire mais Y suivait de près
he came a poor second — il est arrivé deuxième, mais loin derrière le premier
the problem of crime was seen as second only to unemployment — le problème du crime venait juste derrière le chômage
3) ( date)4) GB Universityupper/lower second — ≈ licence f avec mention bien/assez bien
5) (also second gear) Automobile deuxième f, seconde f6) ( defective article) article m qui a un défaut2.(colloq) seconds ['sekəndz] plural noun rab (colloq) m3. ['sekənd]adjective deuxième, secondto have ou take a second helping (of something) — reprendre (de quelque chose)
4. ['sekənd]to ask for a second opinion — ( from doctor) demander l'opinion d'un autre médecin
1) ( in second place) deuxièmeto come ou finish second — (in race, competition) arriver deuxième
2) (also secondly) deuxièmement5.transitive verb1) ['sekənd] appuyer [motion, proposal]2) [sɪ'kɒnd] Military, Commerce détacher ( from de; to à)••to have second thoughts — avoir quelques hésitations or doutes
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15 their
their [ðεər]• somebody rang -- did you ask them their name? quelqu'un a téléphoné -- est-ce que tu lui as demandé son nom ?* * *[ðeə(r)]Note: In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they precede. So their is translated by leur + masculine or feminine singular noun ( leur chien, leur maison) and by leurs + plural noun ( leurs enfants)When their is stressed, à eux (masculine, mixed) or à elles (feminine) is added after the noun: their house = leur maison à eux/à ellesdeterminer leur/leurs -
16 whole
whole [həʊl]1. adjectiveb. ( = intact, unbroken) intact2. nouna. ( = the entire amount of) the whole of the morning toute la matinéeb. ( = complete unit) tout m3. compounds* * *[həʊl] 1.1) ( total unit) tout mas a whole — ( not in separate parts) en entier; ( overall) dans l'ensemble
2) ( all)2.the whole of — tout/-e
1) ( entire) tout, entier/-ière; ( more emphatic) tout entier/-ière2) ( emphatic use)there were a whole lot of them — [objects] il y en avait tout un tas (colloq); [people] il y en avait toute une bande (colloq)
a whole lot of money — un tas (colloq) d'argent
3) ( intact) intact3.adverb [swallow, cook] tout entier4.on the whole adverbial phrase dans l'ensemble -
17 collective
[-tiv]1) (of a number of people etc combined into one group: This success was the result of a collective effort.) collectif2) (of a noun, taking a singular verb but standing for many things taken as a whole: `Cattle' is a collective noun.) collectif -
18 skittles
noun singular (a game in which the players try to knock down a number of skittles with a ball: a game of skittles; Do you play skittles?; ( also adjective) a skittles match.) (de) quilles -
19 one's
❢ In French determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify. So when one's is used as a determiner it is translated by son + masculine singular noun ( son argent), by sa + feminine noun ( sa voiture) BUT by son + feminine noun beginning with a vowel or mute h ( son assiette) and by ses + plural noun ( ses enfants).When one's is stressed, à soi is added after the noun. When one's is used as a reflexive pronoun it is translated by se or s' before a vowel or mute h: to brush one's teeth = se brosser les dents ; ⇒ The human body. For examples and particular usages see the entry below.A = one is, one has.B det son/sa/ses ; to wash one's hands se laver les mains ; one's books/friends ses livres/amis ; one tries to do one's best on essaye de faire de son mieux ; it upsets one's concentration ça perturbe la concentration ; it limits one's options ça limite les choix ; a house/car of one's own une maison/voiture à soi. -
20 our
❢ In French, determiners agree in gender and number with the noun they qualify. So our is translated by notre + masculine or feminine singular noun (notre chien, notre maison) and nos + plural noun (nos enfants).When our is stressed, à nous is added after the noun: our house = notre maison à nous. For our used with parts of the body ⇒ The human body. det notre/nos ; our mother notre mère ; our children nos enfants.
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См. также в других словарях:
singular — [siŋ′gyə lər] adj. [ME singuler < OFr < L singularis < singulus, SINGLE] 1. being the only one of its kind; single; unique [a singular specimen] 2. exceptional; extraordinary; remarkable [singular beauty] 3. peculiar; strange; odd [what… … English World dictionary
Singular — Sin gu*lar, n. 1. An individual instance; a particular. [Obs.] Dr. H. More. [1913 Webster] 2. (Gram) The singular number, or the number denoting one person or thing; a word in the singular number. [1913 Webster] … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Singular — Sin gu*lar (s[i^][ng] g[ u]*l[ e]r), a. [OE. singuler, F. singulier, fr. L. singularius, singularis, fr. singulus single. See {Single}, a.] 1. Separate or apart from others; single; distinct. [Obs.] Bacon. [1913 Webster] And God forbid that all a … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Singular point in a curve — Singular Sin gu*lar (s[i^][ng] g[ u]*l[ e]r), a. [OE. singuler, F. singulier, fr. L. singularius, singularis, fr. singulus single. See {Single}, a.] 1. Separate or apart from others; single; distinct. [Obs.] Bacon. [1913 Webster] And God forbid… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Singular proposition — Singular Sin gu*lar (s[i^][ng] g[ u]*l[ e]r), a. [OE. singuler, F. singulier, fr. L. singularius, singularis, fr. singulus single. See {Single}, a.] 1. Separate or apart from others; single; distinct. [Obs.] Bacon. [1913 Webster] And God forbid… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Singular succession — Singular Sin gu*lar (s[i^][ng] g[ u]*l[ e]r), a. [OE. singuler, F. singulier, fr. L. singularius, singularis, fr. singulus single. See {Single}, a.] 1. Separate or apart from others; single; distinct. [Obs.] Bacon. [1913 Webster] And God forbid… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Singular term — Singular Sin gu*lar (s[i^][ng] g[ u]*l[ e]r), a. [OE. singuler, F. singulier, fr. L. singularius, singularis, fr. singulus single. See {Single}, a.] 1. Separate or apart from others; single; distinct. [Obs.] Bacon. [1913 Webster] And God forbid… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Number — Num ber (n[u^]m b[ e]r), n. [OE. nombre, F. nombre, L. numerus; akin to Gr. no mos that which is dealt out, fr. ne mein to deal out, distribute. See {Numb}, {Nomad}, and cf. {Numerate}, {Numero}, {Numerous}.] 1. That which admits of being counted … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
number one — I UK / US noun Word forms number one : singular number one plural number ones 1) [singular] the person or thing that is first in order or importance The team is number one in the regional game. 2) [countable] in popular music, the record that has … English dictionary
singular — singularly, adv. singularness, n. /sing gyeuh leuhr/, adj. 1. extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional: a singular success. 2. unusual or strange; odd; different: singular behavior. 3. being the only one of its kind; distinctive; unique: a singular … Universalium
singular — sin•gu•lar [[t]ˈsɪŋ gyə lər[/t]] adj. 1) extraordinary; remarkable; exceptional: a singular success[/ex] 2) unusual or strange; odd; different: singular behavior[/ex] 3) being the only one of its kind; unique: a singular example[/ex] 4) separate; … From formal English to slang