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especial

[ih-spesh-uhl]

Example Sentences Origin

adjective

special; exceptional; outstanding: of no especial importance; an especial friend.

of a particular kind, or peculiar to a particular one; particular: your especial case.

Origin:
1350–1400; Middle English < Middle French < Latin speciālis pertaining to a particular kind. See special

Related forms

es·pe·cial·ness, noun

Usage note
See special.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Link To especial

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Especial is always a great word to know.

So is doohickey. Does it mean:

a gadget; dingus; thingumbob.

a scrap or morsel of food left at a meal.

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Example Sentences

It usually rewards faithful lawyers of no especial political importance with places.

From the special relationship to la relacion especial in four generations.

Esta rana tenía una manera especial de proteger a sus bebés.

EXPAND

It usually rewards faithful lawyers of no especial political importance with places.

From the special relationship to la relacion especial in four generations.

Esta rana tenía una manera especial de proteger a sus bebés.

Those not devoting especial attention to raising radishes usually find it difficult to secure a good crop of nice tender roots.

Britain's response to all this is worth especial study.

Pero las serpientes tienen una manera muy especial para oler.

Cotton was remarkably strong yesterday, present crop months showing especial vigor.

They took especial care in reproducing illustrations.

Guardo una memoria muy especial de cada persona que encuentro.

The lecture was with especial reference to the influence of nature upon the folk imagination.

Especial care should also be used in enacting policies that cause the citizenry to make irrevocable committments of their own.

Algunos usan esta sustancia química especial para matar a otros animales.

Of course it is my especial opinion formed by living in a country where some have all but other nothing.

El geco crestado también tiene una característica especial.

Busca un tipo de planta especial que crece en un lado del árbol.

Tenía una manera especial de contactarse con la gente.

Complex structures with more than three layers of ownership should arouse especial scrutiny and have to explain themselves.

Especial sensitivity to sound--not necessarily to the so-called emotions, is developed to an advanced degree.

There was nothing about the worthy lady's life calling for especial mention, and.

They reserve especial loathing for scrawls, which even illiterate subjects can appreciate.

Especial atention is paid to brakes, mufflers, and warning signals.

After all, things out of the ordinary may have posed an especial threat, or offered outsize rewards.

No especial attention was paid to the new guest at.

Yarof as a jovial store manager and lover deserves especial mention.

Certainly this didn't add any especial appeal to the picture.

Ziegfeld paid especial attention to these two phases of his shows.

They may have especial luster today because of the blight that has fallen over our fiction.

Hats may be chosen according to taste, but especial regard should be paid to what is becoming to the wearer.

COLLAPSE

Collins

World English Dictionary

especial (ɪˈspɛʃəl)

—*adj*
1.	unusual; notable; exceptional: he paid especial attention to her that evening
2.	applying to one person or thing in particular; not general; specific; peculiar: he had an especial dislike of relatives

usage Especial and especially have a more limited use than special and specially. Special is always used in preference to especial when the sense is one of being out of the ordinary: a special lesson; he has been specially trained. Special is also used when something is referred to as being for a particular purpose: the word was specially underlined for you. Where an idea of pre-eminence or individuality is involved, either especial or special may be used: he is my especial (or special) friend; he is especially (or specially) good at his job. In informal English, however, special is usually preferred in all contexts

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Etymonline

Word Origin & History

especial

late 14c., from O.Fr. especial "pre-eminent, important," from L. specialis "belonging to a particular kind or species," from species "kind" (see species). Latin words with initial sp-, st-, sc- usually acquired an e- when borrowed by O.Fr. Modern French has restored the

EXPAND

word to spécial. Originally with the same sense as special, later restricted to feelings, qualities, etc.

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"Holding myself the humblest of all whose names were before the convention, I feel in especial need of the assistance of all."

-Abraham Lincoln

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