especial

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English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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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.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /ɛsˈpɛʃəl/
  • Rhymes: -ɛʃəl
  • Hyphenation: es‧pe‧cial

Adjective

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especial (comparative more especial, superlative most especial)

  1. Exceptional in importance or significance; special.
    Pay especial attention to chapter five.
    an especial hatred of cats
    • 1941 July, “The Why and the Wherefore: Inner and Outer Distant Signals”, in Railway Magazine, page 336:
      [...] this is of especial value in foggy weather.
    • 2018, James Lambert, “A multitude of ‘lishes’: The nomenclature of hybridity”, in English World-Wide[1], page 5:
      Starting from this base list, a number of databases were systematically searched for terms, with especial effort taken to discover the earliest attestation possible[.]
  2. Particular.
    acting with no especial goal
    • 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:
      Only one modern picture was admitted, and that was a likeness of Constance, painted under her father's especial instructions.

Usage notes

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Especial is far less common than special, but they are not exact synonyms. Especial typically encompasses special, but also connotes some quality of being particular, separate, or chosen from among others.

Derived terms

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Translations

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Anagrams

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Catalan

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin speciālis.

Pronunciation

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Adjective

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especial m or f (masculine and feminine plural especials)

  1. special

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Occitan

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Latin speciālis.

Pronunciation

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  • Audio (Languedoc):(file)

Adjective

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especial m (feminine singular especiala, masculine plural especials, feminine plural especialas)

  1. special

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Old French

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Etymology

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From Latin speciālis.

Adjective

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especial m (oblique and nominative feminine singular especiale)

  1. special
  2. powerful; mighty

Declension

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Portuguese

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin speciālis.

Pronunciation

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  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /is.pe.siˈaw/ [is.pe.sɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /is.peˈsjaw/ [is.peˈsjaʊ̯], /es.pe.siˈaw/ [es.pe.sɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /es.peˈsjaw/ [es.peˈsjaʊ̯]
    • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /iʃ.pe.siˈaw/ [iʃ.pe.sɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /iʃ.peˈsjaw/ [iʃ.peˈsjaʊ̯], /eʃ.pe.siˈaw/ [eʃ.pe.sɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /eʃ.peˈsjaw/ [eʃ.peˈsjaʊ̯]
    • (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /es.pe.siˈaw/ [es.pe.sɪˈaʊ̯], (faster pronunciation) /es.peˈsjaw/ [es.peˈsjaʊ̯]
 
  • (Portugal) IPA(key): /(i)ʃ.pɨˈsjal/ [(i)ʃ.pɨˈsjaɫ]
    • (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /(i)ʃ.pɨˈsja.li/

  • Rhymes: (Portugal) -al, (Brazil) -aw
  • Hyphenation: es‧pe‧ci‧al

Adjective

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especial m or f (plural especiais)

  1. special
  2. (euphemistic) disabled (having some physical disability)

Derived terms

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Further reading

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Spanish

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Latin speciālis.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): (Spain) /espeˈθjal/ [es.peˈθjal]
  • IPA(key): (Latin America, Philippines) /espeˈsjal/ [es.peˈsjal]
  • Audio (Colombia):(file)
  • Rhymes: -al
  • Syllabification: es‧pe‧cial

Adjective

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especial m or f (masculine and feminine plural especiales)

  1. special (distinguished by a unique quality)
  2. special (of particular interest or value)

Derived terms

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Noun

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especial m (plural especiales)

  1. (television) special

Further reading

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