particularityn.
/pəˌtɪkjᵿˈlarᵻti/, U.S. /pə(r)ˌtɪkjəˈlɛrədi/, /pɑrˌtɪkjəˈlɛrədi/ 1. † b. in particularity: in detail; individually; specially. Cf. in particular adv. at particular adj., n., and adv. Phrases. Obsolete.
a. A particular point or circumstance; a detail. Cf. particular n. 1.Common in 16th–17th centuries.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > relationship > accompaniment > [noun] > a particular or detail
circumstances?c1225
particularity1528
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [noun] > quality of being specific or detailed > a detail or particular
circumstances?c1225
parcela1325
partya1393
specialc1405
particular?a1425
partc1425
specialityc1443
specialty1449
especialityc1460
particularity1528
respect1533
severals1606
especial1633
particularment1642
retail1644
instance1649
circumstantiality1854
the world > relative properties > wholeness > incompleteness > part of whole > [noun] > one of the parts into which anything is divided > of a subject or action
joint1303
particularity1528
article1577
particular1601
detail1786
1528 S. Gardiner in N. Pocock Rec. Reformation (1870) I. l. 103 And so from such good words entered into the particularities of the matter.
1536 T. Cromwell Let. 14 May in R. B. Merriman Life & Lett. T. Cromwell (1902) II. 12 I write noo particularities, the thinges be soo abhomynable, that I thinke the like was neuer harde.
1578 in Court Minutes Surrey & Kent Sewer Comm. (London County Council) (1909) 306 The accompte of Thomas Harper for suche some of money as hath bene by him yssued..as at large by a boke therof remaynyng mencyonyng the particularityes appeareth amounteth to the some of lviijli ixs iijd.
1632 R. Sanderson 12 Serm. 302 In this particularity whereof we now speake.
1639 S. Du Verger tr. J.-P. Camus Admirable Events (Authors Epistle to the Reader) In the particularities which are added, either for connexion, or imbellishment of the recitall: the Author is strictly tyed to the bounds of probability.
1717 Lady M. W. Montagu Let. 29 May (1965) I. 363 When I spoke of their Religion I forgot to mention 2 particularitys.
1796 J. Morse Amer. Universal Geogr. (new ed.) II. 19 The particularities related of this animal would be incredible, were they not attested upon oath.
1822 J. Galt Provost iv. 30 The office of dean of guild must be a very fashious one to folks like me, no skilled in its particularities.
1856 R. W. Emerson Eng. Traits xi. 188 They survey society..and they see things so grouped and amassed as to infer easily the sum and genius, instead of tedious particularities.
1879 J. Morley Burke x. 209 Some particularity of event or inference... Burke never neglected these particularities.
1902 W. James Varieties Relig. Experience ii. 26 The man who knows governments most completely is he who troubles himself least about a definition..enjoying an intimate acquaintance with all their particularities [etc.].
1977 Times Lit. Suppl. 11 Feb. 148/3 Sociologists are notorious for their use of generalizing terms that ride roughshod over the particularities of history.
2000 J. Caughie Television Drama viii. 214 Period detail and the particularities of manners rather than grand narratives and the Grand Style seem indeed to be central to the allure of the past.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > specifically [phrase] > in detail
from point to pointa1393
in speciala1398
specialityc1485
in particularity1559
in piecemeal1561
in (the) detail1603
1559 M. Parker in G. Burnet Hist. Ref. (1681) II. Collect. Rec. 362 Which mine disability I might alleadg at length in particularity.
1569 Act 11 Eliz. in R. Bolton Statutes Ireland (1621) 317 Your Majesties title in generalitie to the whole Realme of Ireland, and in particularitie to the dominion and territories of Ulster.
1588 A. Fraunce Lawiers Logike Ded. sig. ¶¶v There is no Law-maker so prouident, as that hee can in particularity foresee, and..præuent the infinite variety of future inconueniences.
a1626 F. Bacon Advt. Holy Warre in Certaine Misc. Wks. (1629) 133 But much more we Christians, vnto whom it is revealed in particularity, that all Men came from one Lumpe of Earth.
1832 J. F. Cooper Heidenmauer II. v. 55 God hath created all men equal, and therefore it is our right, no less than our duty, to see that Deurckheim is not wronged, especially in that part of her interests that belong, in particularity, to her substantial inhabitants.
1867 tr. M. Guizot Medit. Actual State Christianity v. 311 With the French Encyclopedists, things exist in particularity and individuals singly: the universe is an assemblage of individuals.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > possession > acquisition > [noun] > that which is obtained or acquired > personal or private
singular1419
singularity1426
particularityc1550
society > morality > moral evil > evil nature or character > lack of magnanimity or noble-mindedness > self-interest > [noun] > personal benefit or advantage
commodity1410
singularity1426
commodomec1547
particularityc1550
commodie1575
main chance1584
self-good1594
self-interest1595
job1680
c1550 Complaynt Scotl. (1979) xix. 125 The quhilk gracis and propreteis ar nocht grantit be god for thy particularite bot rather..to be ane dispensatour of his gyftis amang the ignorant pepil.
1579 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1880) 1st Ser. III. 79 The correctioun of his thevis is nather done for gredines nor ony kynd of particularitie.
1586 in D. Masson Reg. Privy Council Scotl. (1881) 1st Ser. IV. 47 Mair respecting thair awne particulariteis nor the commounweill of the said citie.
3. † b. A particular or individual matter or affair; a particular case or instance. Obsolete.
a. gen. The fact or quality of being particular as opposed to general or universal; the fact of being or relating to one or some, but not all, of a class; relation to an individual thing; individuality, specificity; (spec. in Theology, esp. Christian Church) †(a) = particularism n. 1 (obsolete); (b) the doctrine of God's incarnation as Jesus at a particular time and place.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > [noun] > quality of being particular or not general
particularity1569
particularness1727
the world > the supernatural > deity > Christian God > the Trinity > the Son or Christ > [noun] > according to other attributes
horn of salvation (health)c825
fatherOE
sun of righteousnessOE
priestc1175
leecha1200
vinec1315
apostlec1382
amenc1384
shepherdc1384
the Wisdom of the Father1402
high priest1526
pelican1526
mediatora1530
reconcilerc1531
branch1535
morning star1535
surety1535
vicar1651
arch-shepherd1656
hierarch1855
particularity1930
1569 A. Golding tr. N. Hemmingsen Postill To Rdr. sig. Xx.vi Particularitie, is the restreyning of the largenesse of Christs benefites..vntoo a feawe.
1587 A. Fleming et al. Holinshed's Chron. (new ed.) III. 1027/1 So also was it generallie doone throughout all England, in which generalitie this city was of a particularitie.
1647 H. More Philos. Poems ii. ii. iii. vi Not wedg'd in strait particularity, But grasping all in her vast active spright.
1656 tr. T. Hobbes Elements Philos. i. ii. 16 A Common Name set by it selfe without any note either of Universality or Particularity, as Man, Stone,..is called an Indefinite Name.
1725 I. Watts Logick i. iv. §4 Any common name whatsoever is made proper by terms of particularity added to it.
1865 J. B. Mozley 8 Lect. Miracles ii. 41 That..does not alter the particularity of the fact, or make it at all the more a universal.
1930 E. Hoskyns in G. K. Bell & G. A. Deissmann Mysterium Christi 89 The philosopher should..make sense of it [sc. revelation] by some other means than by obscuring the particularity of the Old Testament.
1969 T. F. Torrance Theol. Sci. iii. 140 God reveals Himself in the contingent particularity and sheer singularity of Jesus Christ.
1986 D. Madden Hidden Symptoms (1988) 32 With the weird particularity common to dreams, the dominant feature had been the school's radiators.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > an individual case or instance > [noun]
particularity1574
particular1609
1574 G. Baker tr. Composition Oleum Magistrale sig. C.ij For sithens experie[n]ce is but the obseruation or remembrance of the successe had in particuler things..and..neither art not science consisted in particularities: it must needs folow yt naked experience maketh no art.
1592 R. Greene Philomela sig. Bv Yet when he called to mind hir chast vertues, and did ruminate the particularities of his loues toward himselfe, he supprest the suspitious flame of ielousy.
1598 J. Manwood Treat. Lawes Forrest i. §3, f. 4 v There is no principle or ground so generall, that there is not some particularitie exempted out of it.
a1616 W. Shakespeare Henry VI, Pt. 2 (1623) v. iii. 44 Now let the generall Trumpet blow his blast, Particularities, and pettie sounds To cease. View more context for this quotation
a. The fact or quality of being noteworthy or special; distinction; peculiarity. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > importance > [noun] > worthy of notice
notablenessc1450
particularity1570
conspicuity1601
of remarka1618
remarkableness1623
conspicuousness1661
noise1670
figure1692
observableness1727
remarkability1838
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or extraordinary > [noun]
particularity1570
unusualness1579
egregiousness1606
remarkableness1623
extraordinarinessa1665
unusuality1799
remarkability1838
exceptionality1854
exceptionalness1886
1570 J. Dee in H. Billingsley tr. Euclid Elements Geom. Math. Præf. sig. ciiij Sufficient to notifie, the particularitie, and excellency of the Arte.
1711 R. Steele Spectator No. 142. ⁋8 To..have the Esteem of a Woman of your Merit, has in it a Particularity of Happiness.
1793 J. Smeaton Narr. Edystone Lighthouse (ed. 2) Contents 7 Further augmented by the particularity of the Tide.
b. Peculiarity such as to cause surprise; oddity, singularity. Also: an instance of this; an odd action or characteristic. Obsolete.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > order > disorder > irregularity > unconformity > abnormality > [noun] > oddness
oddness1611
queerity1711
particularity1712
whimsicalness1715
oddity1739
queerness1748
whimsicality1761
singularity1768
quizzity1788
eccentricity1794
quizziness1798
queerishness1803
fantasticness1825
rumness1840
weirdness1869
quirkiness1870
rumminess1872
whimsiness1909
1712 R. Steele Spectator No. 438. ⁋4 An habitual Humour, Whim, or Particularity of Behaviour.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison VI. xxiii. 130 Mr. Greville..has frequently surprised us with his particularities.
1791 J. Boswell Life Johnson anno 1739 I. 76 [Sir J. Reynolds:] One instance of his absence and particularity, as it is characteristick of the man, may be worth relating.
1807 J. Austen Let. 8 Feb. (1995) 120 Mary found on our return her card with only her name on it, & she had left word that she wd call again.—The particularity of this made us talk.
5. An attribute belonging particularly to a specified person or thing; a special or distinctive quality or feature; a peculiarity.
ΘΚΠ
the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > [noun] > a characteristic
privilegec1225
distinctionc1374
propertyc1390
tachea1400
pointa1425
specialty?a1425
difference?c1425
conditionc1460
markc1522
touch1528
specialty1532
differentia1551
character?1569
formality1570
particularity1585
peculiar1589
accent1591
appropriation1600
characterism1603
peculiarity1606
resemblance1622
propera1626
speciality1625
specificationa1631
appropriament1633
characteristic1646
discrimination1646
diagnostic1651
characteristical1660
stroke1666
talent1670
physiognomya1680
oddity1713
distinctive1816
spécialité1836
trait1864
flavour1866
middle name1905
discriminant1920
discriminator1943
1585 R. Lane Let. 12 Aug. in Trans. & Coll. Amer. Antiquarian Soc. (1860) 4 9 The generalle's returne..dothe presently cutte mee of from usinge cyrcumstances in reporte of the partycularityes of thys countrey in thys my letter unto your honor.
1588 R. Parke tr. J. G. de Mendoza Comm. Notable Thinges in tr. J. G. de Mendoza Hist. Kingdome of China 343 It is thought that they doo descend of the tartares, by some particularities that is found amongst them.
1604 E. Grimeston tr. J. de Acosta Nat. & Morall Hist. Indies iii. xii. 159 To speak what we know of the particularities of the Antartike straight.
1713 R. Steele Guardian No. 10. ⁋7 Some particularities in the garb of their Abbés may be transplanted hither to advantage.
1779 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 70 75 The particularity of this last eruption was, that the lava..was now chiefly thrown up from its Crater.
1844 Ld. Brougham Albert Lunel III. viii. 231 He has, however, some of the particularities of the family.
1863 E. V. Neale Analogy Thought & Nature 75 Seeking for the general conception through the particularities of the individual.
1966 W. Percy Last Gentleman iii. iv. 120 Now here surely is a good way to live nowadays..sampling the particularities of place yet cabined off from the sadness of place.
1994 Edmonton (Alberta) Jrnl. 30 Jan. e6/3 It's also missing some intriguing regional particularities, such as that dreadnought dish from my Nova Scotian youth called ‘boiled dinner’.
2000 Amer. Scholar Autumn 7/1 There are few French, English, Greek, or Latin writers of more than antiquarian interest in whom he hasn't found some trait, or tag, or particularity, worth praising.
ΘΚΠ
the mind > attention and judgement > contempt > disrespect > [noun] > disrespect by undue familiarity
familiarityc1410
particularity1591
freedoma1625
over freedom1668
over-familiarity1676
1591 in I. W. Archer et al. Relig., Politics, & Society in 16th-cent. Eng. (2003) 229 I thus doe finde that yow are noted for particularity to mee by others in like competition.
1664 T. Killigrew 2nd Pt. Bellamira i. v, in Comedies & Trag. 529 Constancy and particularity shew the minds chastity.
1709 R. Steele Tatler No. 47. ⁋2 All the remarkable Particularities which are usual for Persons who admire one another.
1735 H. Fielding Universal Gallant iii. 37 Sister, I am surpriz'd at you. This Particularity with a young Fellow is very indecent.
1773 R. Hitchcock Macaroni v. 74 We both have lov'd your daughters some time—you must have observ'd the particularity of our behaviour, as we wish'd not to conceal it.
1809 W. Dunlap tr. A. von Kotzebue Fraternal Discord iii. 39 That vanity which makes an idle youth misconstrue politeness into particularity, and boast over the bottle of favors which the innocent victim of his folly is not capable of imagining.
1816 J. Austen Emma III. xiv. 268 Behaving one hour with objectionable particularity to another woman. View more context for this quotation
1844 J. H. Ingraham Ellen Hart i. 5 And would he have colored as he did..if he had not thought of the beauteous Ellen with more particularity than he regarded other young misses?
7. Minuteness or precision of description, expression, investigation, etc.; consideration of the particulars of a subject.
ΘΚΠ
the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [noun] > quality of being specific or detailed
specialty1384
circumstance1393
punctuality1620
punctualness1620
specializing1633
particularity1638
detailedness1842
specificality1858
detailism1865
society > leisure > the arts > literature > style of language or writing > copiousness > [noun] > attention to details
circumstance1509
particularity1638
minuteness1640
circumstantiality1731
circumstantialness1731
circumstancing1801
1638 A. Read Treat. 1st Pt. Chirurg. xviii. 130 Fomentations..for a gangrene, whereof I meane to discourse in a particularity.
1699 Bp. G. Burnet Expos. 39 Articles (1700) ii. 53 There is no part of the Gospel writ with so copious a Particularity, as the History of his Sufferings and Death.
1790 W. Paley Horæ Paulinæ i. 5 The very particularity of St. Paul's Epistles.
1833 Pearl & Lit. Gaz. 23 Nov. 63/3 He then..contemplated the Editor's six feet two, with an ominous particularity.
1884 Law Rep.: Appeal Cases 9 180 It is necessary to examine the proceedings with some particularity.
1955 G. Gorer Exploring Eng. Char. xiii. 221 Two groups of people identified themselves with more particularity than was called for in the questionnaire.
1991 Industr. Law Jrnl. 20 285 It seems to us important that advisers and parties appearing in person..must be prepared..to analyze issues and present their case with some degree of accuracy and particularity.
8. Attentiveness to details of conduct or action; special carefulness; fastidiousness, scrupulousness.
ΘΚΠ
the world > action or operation > manner of action > care, carefulness, or attention > [noun] > scrupulous care or attention to detail
chariness1571
minuteness1640
exactness1645
particularity1669
nicety1711
exactitude1735
narrowness1817
particularness1859
scrupulousness1863
detail1868
scrupulosity1879
meticulosity1887
meticulousness1909
1669 A. Woodhead tr. Life St. Teresa (1671) ii. 255 With great weight, and much particularity, I heard internally that Verse of the Psalm.
1753 S. Richardson Hist. Sir Charles Grandison I. viii. 36 Sir Rowland himself, as you will guess by his particularity, is an old bachelor.
1832 J. P. Kennedy Swallow Barn (1860) 14 It [sc. the letter] flouted my opinions, laughed at my particularity.
1882 C. F. Woolson Anne 96 A particularity as to the saving of string.
1892 R. L. Stevenson & L. Osbourne Wrecker xiii. 212 The old-maidish particularity of an American sailor.
1921 Times 5 Mar. 14/3 Any meticulous particularity with regard to what was happening between the right hon. gentleman and the railways would..be a waste of time.
2002 Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch (Nexis) 19 Sept. 17 Chef Hartmut Handke.., who is famous for his particularity about raw ingredients, has been pleased by what he terms the ‘outstanding’ quality of the meat.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2005; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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