especial en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ɛsˈpɛʃəl/
- (Southern-England) audio
Etymology
From Middle English especial, via Old French especial, from Latin specialis, from species (“appearance, form, beauty”), from specere (“to look”). Doublet of special. Related to species.
Meanings
-
Exceptional in importance or significance; special.
Pay especial attention to chapter five.
[...] this is of especial value in foggy weather.
1941 July, “The Why and the Wherefore: Inner and Outer Distant Signals”, in Railway Magazine, page 336:an especial hatred of cats
Starting from this base list, a number of databases were systematically searched for terms, with especial effort taken to discover the earliest attestation possible[.]
2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide, page 5:
-
Particular.
Only one modern picture was admitted, and that was a likeness of Constance, painted under her father's especial instructions.
1837, L[etitia] E[lizabeth] L[andon], “The Influence of the Dead”, in Ethel Churchill: Or, The Two Brides. […], volume II, London: Henry Colburn, […], →OCLC, page 270:acting with no especial goal
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| more especial | Degree=Cmp | lexicographic | |
| especiall | alternative, obsolete | lexicographic | |
| most especial | Degree=Sup | lexicographic |
Deriveds
especialness · in especial · especially
Relateds
Translations (4)
cmn 特殊 (special) · bg особен (special) · bg специален (special) · es especial (special)