peculiar

 
Pronunciation: /pɪˈkjuːlɪə/

adjective

  • 1different to what is normal or expected; strange: he gave her some very peculiar looks Stella thought the play peculiar
  • [predic.] informal slightly and indefinably unwell: I felt a little peculiar for a while
  • 2particular; special: any attempt to explicate the theme is bound to run into peculiar difficulties
  • (peculiar to) belonging exclusively to: some languages are peculiar to one region

noun

chiefly British
  • a parish or church exempt from the jurisdiction of the diocese in which it lies, and subject to the direct jurisdiction of the monarch or an archbishop: deans and canons of royal peculiars, notably Westminster Abbey and Windsor

Origin:

late Middle English (in the sense 'particular'): from Latin peculiaris 'of private property', from peculium 'property', from pecu 'cattle' (cattle being private property). The sense 'strange' dates from the early 17th century

Spelling help

Remember that peculiar ends with -iar.

he looked at her in a rather peculiar way.