| 释义 |
in·di·vid·u·al
I. \|ində|vij(ə)wəl, -jəl\ adjective
Etymology: Middle English indyvyduall, from Medieval Latin individualis indivisible, individual, from Latin individuus indivisible (from in- in- (I) + dividuus divided, divisible, from dividere to divide) + -alis -al — more at divide
1. obsolete
a. : not divisible : of one essence or nature
b. : not to be parted : inseparable
2.
a. : of, belonging to, arising from, or possessed or used by an individual
< individual traits >
< individual possessions >
< the secular, modern … belief in individual human rights — A.J.Toynbee >
< individual self-reliance >
< no private adventures, no purely individual experiences — J.W.Krutch >
b. : being an individual : marked by a distinctness and a complexity within a unity that characterizes organized things, concepts, organic beings, and persons
c. : intended for one person
< served the pudding in individual portions >
: designed to accomodate enough for one person
< a small individual baking dish >
: applying to one person
< an individual policy in life insurance >
3. : existing as a separate and distinct entity : single, singular, particular
< dolls, with movable legs and arms, glass eyes, and individual teeth — Green Peyton >
< a bookseller … handling individual copies of net books — James Britton >
< consists of 96 island units (comprising some 2,141 individual islands and coral atolls) — Americana Annual >
4. archaic : selfsame, identical
5.
a. : having marked individuality : being peculiar, striking, or uncommon enough in character to be easily identified or distinguished
< an individual style of writing >
< the odor from the dump was so putrid in so individual a way that it was quite impossible to describe — Jean Stafford >
b. : serving to distinguish or identify
c. : distinctive, peculiar
< a threshold of susceptibility which is individual to each system — G.W.Gray b. 1886 >
Synonyms: see characteristic, special
II. noun
(-s)
1. : a single or particular being or thing or group of beings or things: as
a. : a particular being or thing as distinguished from a class, species, or collection
< the primary subject matter of literature is precisely all that science leaves out: the individual, the particular, the concrete — H.J.Muller >
(1) : a single human being as contrasted with a social group or institution
< the rights of the individual >
< countries in distress, like individuals in ill health, are inclined to be quarrelsome — Samuel Van Valkenburg & Ellsworth Huntington >
(2) : a single organism as distinguished from a group
b. : a particular person
< a rather odd individual >
< attempting to capture rather than kill their enemies, in order that the supply of individuals for human sacrifice might be augmented — R.W.Murray >
c. : the product of a single fertilization — called also genetic individual
d. : all the vegetative progeny of an organism exhibiting alternation of generations — called also genetic individual; compare clone
e. : a single chemical substance — compare mixture 2a
2. : an indivisible entity or a totality which cannot be separated into parts without altering the character or significance of these parts
3. archaic : self, personality
4. logic
a. : something that cannot have instances : particular
b. : something referred to by a proper name; specifically : something referred to by a name or variable of the lowest logical type in a formalized language or calculus
5. : a tournament in contract bridge in which each player changes partners after each round so that one person rather than a pair or team may be determined as winner |