special

See also: spécial

English

Etymology

From Middle English *special, especial, especiall, from Old French especial (whence also French spécial), from Latin specialis (from species, speciei).

Pronunciation

• enPR: spĕʹshəl, IPA^(key): /ˈspɛ.ʃəl/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʃəl

Adjective

special (comparative more special or specialer, superlative most special or specialest)

1. Distinguished by a unique or unusual quality.

   a special episode of a television series

2. Of particular personal interest or value; dear; beloved.

   Everyone is special to someone.

3. (euphemistic) Of or related to learning or intellectual disabilities.

   special education

   He goes to a special school.

4. Constituting or relating to a species.

   The seven dark spots is a special property unique to Coccinella septempunctata.

5. Chief in excellence.
   • (Can we date this quote by Shakespeare and provide title, author’s full name, and other details?)

     The king hath drawn / The special head of all the land together.

6. (military) Of or related to special forces.

Antonyms

• (distinguished by a unique or unusual quality): common, non-special, ordinary, usual

Derived terms

• specialisation (specialization)
• specialise (specialize)
• specialist
• speciality
• specially
• specialness
• specialty

 

Related terms

• especial
• especially
• special attack
• special constable
• special defense
• special delivery
• special ed
• special education
• special forces
• Special Olympics
• special ops
• special saloon

 

Translations

distinguished by a unique or unusual quality

• Arabic: خَاصّ (ḵāṣṣ)

  Moroccan Arabic: خاص (ḵaṣṣ)

• Armenian: հատուկ (hy) (hatuk)
• Belarusian: асаблі́вы m (asablívy)
• Burmese: ထူး (my) (htu:)
• Catalan: especial (ca)
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 特別的／特别的 (zh), 特别的 (zh) (tèbié de), 特殊的 (zh) (tèshū de), 專門的／专门的 (zh), 专门的 (zh) (zhuānmén de)

• Czech: zvláštní (cs), speciální (cs)
• Dutch: speciaal (nl)
• Esperanto: speciala (eo)
• Estonian: eri-
• Finnish: erikoinen (fi), omalaatuinen (fi), erikois-
• French: spécial (fr)
• Georgian: განსაკუთრებული (gansaḳutrebuli), სპეციალური (sṗecialuri), საგანგებო (sagangebo)
• German: speziell (de), Spezial-, ungewöhnlich (de), Sonder- (de), besondere (de)
• Greek: έκτακτος (el) m (éktaktos)
• Hindi: ख़ास (xās), विशेष (hi) (viśeṣ)
• Hungarian: különleges (hu), speciális (hu), rendkívüli (hu), alkalmi (hu), külön- (hu), szakmai (hu), szak-
• Ido: specala (io)
• Indonesian: khusus (id), istimewa (id)
• Irish: speisialta (ga)
• Italian: speciale (it)
• Japanese: 特別な (ja) (tokubetsu na), 特殊な (ja) (tokushu na)
• Khmer: please add this translation if you can
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Korean: 특별한 (teukbyeolhan)
• Lao: please add this translation if you can
• Latgalian: sovins
• Latin: eximius, praecipuus
• Latvian: īpašs
• Lithuanian: ypatingas, nepaprastas
• Malay: istimewa, khas
• Maori: motuhake
• Navajo: spéshelígíí
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: spesiell (no), spesial

  Nynorsk: spesiell, spesial

• Persian: ویژه (fa) (viža), خاص (fa) (xâs)
• Polish: specjalny (pl) m, wyjątkowy (pl) m
• Portuguese: especial (pt)
• Romanian: special (ro) m, specială f
• Russian: осо́бый (ru) m (osóbyj), осо́бенный (ru) m (osóbennyj), специа́льный (ru) m (speciálʹnyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sònraichte, àraidh, air leth
• Slovak: špeciálny
• Slovene: poseben m
• Sorbian:

  Lower Sorbian: wósebny

• Spanish: especial (es)
• Swahili: maalum (sw)
• Swedish: speciell (sv)
• Thai: พิเศษ (th) (pí-sèet)
• Urdu: خاص (xās)
• Vietnamese: đặc biệt (vi)
• Welsh: arbennig (cy)

of particular interest or value; certain; dear; beloved; favored

• Armenian: հատուկ (hy) (hatuk)
• Catalan: especial (ca)
• Czech: jedinečný (cs)
• Dutch: speciaal (nl)
• Esperanto: speciala (eo)
• Estonian: eriline (et)
• Finnish: pidetty (fi), erityinen (fi), tietty (fi)
• French: particulier (fr)
• Georgian: განსაკუთრებული (gansaḳutrebuli), გამორჩეული (gamorčeuli)
• German: speziell (de), Spezial-, Sonder- (de), bestimmt (de), Lieblings- (de)
• Greek: ειδικός (el) m (eidikós), ιδιαίτερος (el) m (idiaíteros)
• Hungarian: különleges (hu)
• Ido: specala (io)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Indonesian: spesial (id)
• Italian: speciale (it)
• Latin: eximius
• Malay: istimewa
• Norwegian: spesiell (no)
• Polish: wyjątkowy (pl) m
• Portuguese: especial (pt)
• Russian: осо́бый (ru) (osóbyj), осо́бенный (ru) (osóbennyj)
• Scottish Gaelic: sònraichte, àraidh
• Spanish: especial (es)
• Swedish: speciell (sv)
• Turkish: özel (tr)

(offensive slang): retarded; handicapped

• Hungarian: kisegítő (hu), speciális (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Persian: استثنایی (fa) (estesnâyi)
• Swedish: speciell (sv)

constituting or relating to a species

• Czech: zvláštní (cs), druhový
• Finnish: lajityypillinen (fi)
• Greek: ειδικός (el) m (eidikós)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: jellegzetes (hu), jellemző (hu)
• Russian: видово́й (ru) (vidovój)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

• French: ^{(please verify)} proche (fr)
• Georgian: ^{(please verify)} განსაკუთრებული (gansaḳutrebuli), ^{(please verify)} საგანგებო (sagangebo), ^{(please verify)} სპეციალური (sṗecialuri)
• Hebrew: ^{(please verify)} מיוחד (he) (me-yukhad)
• Ido: ^{(please verify)} partikulara (io)
• Korean: ^{(please verify)} 특별한 (teukbyeolhan)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Tagalog: ^{(please verify)} espesyal (tl), ^{(please verify)} natatangi (tl), ^{(please verify)} pantangi (tl)
• Telugu: ^{(please verify)} ప్రత్యేక (te) (pratyēka)
• Turkish: ^{(please verify)} özel (tr)
• Volapük: ^{(please verify)} patik (vo)

Noun

special (plural specials)

1. A reduction in consumer cost (usually for a limited time) for items or services rendered.

   We're running a special on turkey for Thanksgiving.

2. One of a rotation of meals systematically offered for a lower price at a restaurant.

   Today's special is our tuna melt on rye.

3. (broadcasting) Unusual or exceptional episode of a series.

   Did you see the Christmas special?

4. (British, colloquial) A special constable.
5. Anything that is not according to normal practice, plan, or schedule, as an unscheduled run of transportation that is normally scheduled.

   Thousands came to see the special that carried the President's coffin.

6. Any unlicensed medicine produced or obtained for a specific individual patient.
7. (journalism) A correspondent; a journalist sent to the scene of an event to report back.
8. (journalism) A dispatch sent back by a special correspondent.

Translations

A reduction in consumer cost (usually for a limited time) for items or services rendered

• Armenian: please add this translation if you can
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: please add this translation if you can

• Czech: sleva (cs)
• Dutch: aanbieding (nl) f
• Esperanto: please add this translation if you can
• Finnish: erikoistarjous
• French: solde (fr)
• Georgian: please add this translation if you can
• German: Sonderangebot (de)
• Greek: προσφορά (el) f (prosforá)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: akció (hu), árleszállítás (hu)
• Italian: please add this translation if you can
• Japanese: スペシャル (supesharu)
• Korean: 스페셜 (seupesyeol)
• Malay: tawaran khas, tawaran istimewa
• Portuguese: please add this translation if you can
• Russian: распрода́жа (ru) f (rasprodáža)
• Slovak: zľava
• Spanish: oferta (es) f
• Swedish: specialerbjudande (sv) n
• Thai: please add this translation if you can
• Turkish: please add this translation if you can

(TV, radio) Unsual or exceptional episode of a series

• Finnish: erikoisjakso, erikoislähetys
• German: Sondersendung (de)
• Greek: έκτακτος (el) m (éktaktos)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Hungarian: különkiadás (hu)
• Japanese: スペシャル (supesharu)
• Korean: 스페셜 (seupesyeol)
• Swedish: specialavsnitt n

Verb

special (third-person singular simple present specials, present participle specialing or specialling, simple past and past participle specialed or specialled)

1. (nursing) To supervise a patient one-on-one.
   • 1905, Shadyside Hospital (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Annual Report‎^[1], page 27:

     We have not sent our pupils out on private duty except a very few times, but they have an unusual amount of specialing to do inside.

   • 2015 July 7, Jo-Ann Giandinoto, Karen-leigh Edward, “The phenomenon of co-morbid physical and mental illness in acute medical care: the lived experience of Australian health professionals”, in BMC Research Notes‎^[2], volume 8, →DOI:

     Participant three described their personal interest in mental health care: “I have an interest in mental health but I have found that other staff on the surgical ward who have been there for a while… often say I hate specialling these patients…”

Anagrams

• epicals, piacles, plaices

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Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English special.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspɛ.ʃɔl/, /ˈspɛ.ʃɑl/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spe‧ci‧al

Noun

special m (plural specials)

1. A special broadcast episode.

Related terms

• speciaal

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Middle French

Adjective

special m (feminine singular speciale, masculine plural speciaulx, feminine plural speciales)

1. special; extraordinary; beyond what is usual