especial
es·pe·cial
adjective
1.
surpassing what is common or usual or expected
- “he paid especial attention to her”
- “exceptional kindness”
- “a matter of particular and unusual importance”
- “a special occasion”
- “a special reason to confide in her”
- “what”
Origin
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.
Phrases
- in especial
Related words
Word family
WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.