singular

I. adjective Etymology: Middle English singuler, from Anglo-French, from Latin singularis, from singulus only one — more at single Date: 14th century 1. a. of or relating to a separate person or thing ; individual b. of, relating to, or being a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance <

a singular noun

> c. of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself 2. distinguished by superiority ; exceptional <

an artist of singular attainments

> 3. being out of the ordinary ; unusual <

on the way home we had a singular adventure

> 4. departing from general usage or expectation ; peculiar, odd <

the air had a singular chill

> 5. a. of a matrix having a determinant equal to zero b. of a linear transformation having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero Synonyms: see strange • singularly adverb II. noun Date: 14th century 1. the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form 2. a singular term