Peculiarism
/pɪˈkjuː.li.ə.rɪ.zəm/noun
The quality, state, or practice of being peculiar or distinctive.
Did you know?Latin peculium meant privately possessed property—sometimes the personal savings of an enslaved person—and ultimately traced back to pecus, “cattle,” once a primary form of wealth.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*peku-
“Livestock or movable wealth, especially cattle”
Classical Latin
Latin
pecus
“Cattle or livestock”
Classical Latin
Latin
peculium
“Private property or personal possessions, including an enslaved person’s legally permitted savings”
Classical Latin
Latin
peculiaris
“Of one’s own; private, personal, or distinctive”
Late Middle English
English
peculiar
“Private, particular, or belonging exclusively to someone; later, strange or distinctive”
Modern English
English
peculiarism
“The state or practice of being peculiar, formed with the abstract suffix -ism”