Particularity

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /pəˌtɪkjʊˈlæɹɪti/

Definitions

1. The quality of being marked by specific traits or details that differentiate it from more general concepts or items
2. The characteristic of being especially noteworthy or unique in detail, focusing on distinctions and specific traits that set something apart from broader categories
3. The state of having clear and exact specifications or characteristics ; a small or specific trait that makes something unique or distinct

Etymology: The Latin root behind "particularity" is a diminutive of a word for "part," which makes the noun a kind of "little-partness" in its earliest sense. Latin "particula" meant a small piece, a particle, and the adjective "particulāris" grew from it to mean "relating to a small part," or "partial." From there, Late Latin "particularitas" named the quality of being a particular thing as opposed to a general one, and that sense passed through Middle French "particularité," which kept the idea of a part of a whole. English took the word from French, with the modern spelling settling in later. Its structure is plain: "particular" plus the suffix "-ity," which forms nouns for qualities or states from adjectives. So the English word simply names the property of being particular, of standing out with specific details rather than general features.

Synonyms: specificity, distinctiveness, uniqueness, detail, characteristic

Antonyms: generality, commonality, abstraction