different between particular vs formal

English

Alternative forms

• perticular (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English particuler, from Anglo-Norman particuler, Middle French particuler, particulier, from Late Latin particularis (“partial; separate, individual”), from Latin particula (“(small) part”). Equivalent to particle +? -ar. Compare particle.

Pronunciation

• (rhotic) IPA^(key): /p??t?kj?l?/
• (non-rhotic) IPA^(key): /p??t?kj?l?/
• (US, rhotic, r-dissimilation) IPA^(key): /p??t?kj?l?/
• Hyphenation: par?tic?u?lar
• Rhymes: -?kj?l?(?)

Adjective

particular (comparative more particular, superlative most particular) (also non-comparable)

1. (obsolete) Pertaining only to a part of something; partial.
2. Specific; discrete; concrete.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:specific

   Antonym: general
3. Specialised; characteristic of a specific person or thing.

   Synonyms: optimized, specialistic

   • 1625, Francis Bacon, Of Gardens

     wheresoever one plant draweth such a particular juice out of the earth

4. (obsolete) Known only to an individual person or group; confidential.
   • 1623, William Shakespeare, King Lear, V.1:

     or these domesticke and particular broiles, Are not the question heere.

5. Distinguished in some way; special (often in negative constructions).

6. (comparable) Of a person, concerned with, or attentive to, details; fastidious.

   Synonyms: minute, precise, fastidious; see also Thesaurus:fastidious
7. Concerned with, or attentive to, details; minute; circumstantial; precise.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:meticulous

8. (law) Containing a part only; limited.

9. (law) Holding a particular estate.
10. (logic) Forming a part of a genus; relatively limited in extension; affirmed or denied of a part of a subject.

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Further reading

• particular in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

Noun

particular (plural particulars)

1. A small individual part of something larger; a detail, a point. [from 15th c.]
2. (obsolete) A person's own individual case. [16th-19th c.]
   • 1658, Henry Hammond, Whole Duty of Man

     temporal blessings, whether such as concern the public […] or such as concern our particular

3. (now philosophy, chiefly in plural) A particular case; an individual thing as opposed to a whole class. (Opposed to generals, universals.) [from 17th c.]

Related terms

• universal
• for one's particular

Translations

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin particularis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /p??.ti.ku?la/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /p?r.ti.ku?la/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /pa?.ti.ku?la?/

Adjective

particular (masculine and feminine plural particulars)

1. private
2. particular

Derived terms

• particularment

Related terms

• partícula
• particularitat

Further reading

• “particular” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “particular” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “particular” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “particular” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin particul?ris, corresponding to partícula +? -ar.

Pronunciation

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /p??.ti.ku.?la?/
• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /pa?.?t??i.ku.?la?/, [p??.?t??i.k?.?l?ä?]
• Hyphenation: par?ti?cu?lar

Adjective

particular m or f (plural particulares, comparable)

1. private (concerning, accessible or belonging to an individual person or group)
2. private (not belonging to the government)

   Synonym: privado

   Antonym: público

3. particular; specific

   Synonym: específico

4. particular; distinguished; exceptional

   Synonym: excepcional

Inflection

Derived terms

• em particular

Related terms

• partícula

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin particul?ris.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pa?tiku?la?/, [pa?.t?i.ku?la?]

Adjective

particular (plural particulares)

1. specific, particular

   Synonyms: concreto, específico

2. peculiar, strange

   Synonyms: raro, extraño

3. personal

   Synonym: íntimo

4. private

   Synonym: privado

Related terms

• partícula

Noun

particular m (plural particulares)

1. individual, private citizen

Further reading

• “particular” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English formel, borrowed from Old French formel, from Latin formalis, from forma (“form”); see form.

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?f??m?l/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?f??m?l/
• Rhymes: -??(?)m?l
• Hyphenation: for?mal

Adjective

formal (comparative more formal, superlative most formal)

1. Being in accord with established forms.

2. Official.

3. Relating to the form or structure of something.
4. Relating to formation.

5. Ceremonial or traditional.

6. Proper, according to strict etiquette; not casual.

7. Organized; well-structured and planned.

8. (mathematics) Relating to mere manipulation and construction of strings of symbols, without regard to their meaning.

Antonyms

• informal

Derived terms

Related terms

• form

Translations

Noun

formal (countable and uncountable, plural formals)

1. (clothing) An evening gown.
2. An event with a formal dress code.

3. (programming) A formal parameter.

Etymology 2

see formo-

Noun

formal (plural formals)

1. (uncountable) Formalin.
2. An acetal formed from formaldehyde.

Translations

Related terms

• essive-formal
• hemiformal

Further reading

• formal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• formal in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• Folmar

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin f?rm?lis.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Valencian) IPA^(key): /fo??mal/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /fur?mal/

Adjective

formal (masculine and feminine plural formals)

1. formal

   Antonym: informal

Derived terms

• formalitzar
• formalment
• informal

Related terms

• forma
• formalitat

Further reading

• “formal” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.
• “formal” in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana.
• “formal” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
• “formal” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.

Crimean Tatar

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin formalis, from forma (“form”).

Adjective

formal

1. formal

References

• Mirjejev, V. A.; Usejinov, S. M. (2002) Ukrajins?ko-kryms?kotatars?kyj slovnyk [Ukrainian – Crimean Tatar Dictionary]?^[1], Simferopol: Dolya, ?ISBN

Galician

Etymology 1

Inherited from Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fo??mal/

Noun

formal m (plural formais)

1. site, plot
   • 1290, M. Lucas Álvarez P. Lucas Domínguez (eds.), El monasterio de San Clodio do Ribeiro en la Edad Media: estudio y documentos. Sada / A Coruña: Edicións do Castro, page 415:

     damos a uos que tenades de nos essa cassa en que uos ora morades en Eyres, con seu saydo et con todo o formal dessa casa, asi como esta çerrada de muro ao tenpo da era desta carta.

     we give you, for you to have, that house where you now dwell in Eires, with its garden and with the whole plot of that house, as it is enclosed with a wall at the time of this charter

   Synonym: sesego

2. foundation, ruin
3. mould for the production of tiles

Etymology 2

Borrowed from Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fo??mal/

Adjective

formal m or f (plural formais)

1. formal

Derived terms

• formalmente

Related terms

• forma
• formalidade
• informal

Further reading

• “formal” in Dicionario da Real Academia Galega, Royal Galician Academy.

References

• “formal” in Dicionario de Dicionarios do galego medieval, SLI - ILGA 2006-2012.
• “formal” in Xavier Varela Barreiro & Xavier Gómez Guinovart: Corpus Xelmírez - Corpus lingüístico da Galicia medieval. SLI / Grupo TALG / ILG, 2006-2016.
• “formal” in Dicionario de Dicionarios da lingua galega, SLI - ILGA 2006-2013.
• “formal” in Tesouro informatizado da lingua galega. Santiago: ILG.
• “formal” in Álvarez, Rosario (coord.): Tesouro do léxico patrimonial galego e portugués, Santiago de Compostela: Instituto da Lingua Galega.

German

Etymology

Form +? -al

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /f???ma?l/
• Rhymes: -a?l

Adjective

formal (comparative formaler, superlative am formalsten)

1. formal (being in accord with established forms)

Usage notes

Not to be confused with formell.The adjectives formell and informell express the presence or absence of ceremonies: ein informelles Treffen is a meeting in a near-private context.The adjective formal stresses the outward appearance (pro forma) as opposed to the content or the spirit.

Declension

Further reading

• “formal” in Duden online
• “formal” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache

Piedmontese

Etymology

From Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fur?mal/
• Rhymes: -al

Adjective

formal

1. formal

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /fo??maw/
• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /fu??mal/
• Hyphenation: for?mal

Adjective

formal m or f (plural formais, comparable)

1. formal (being in accord with established forms)
2. formal (official)
3. formal (relating to the form or structure of something)
4. formal (ceremonial)
5. (logic) formal (involving mere manipulations of symbols)

Further reading

• “formal” in Dicionário Aberto based on Novo Diccionário da Língua Portuguesa de Cândido de Figueiredo, 1913

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from French formel, Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /for?mal/

Adjective

formal m or n (feminine singular formal?, masculine plural formali, feminine and neuter plural formale)

1. formal

Declension

Related terms

• formalitate

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin formalis.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fo??mal/, [fo??mal]
• Hyphenation: for?mal

Adjective

formal (plural formales)

1. formal
2. reliable, dependable

Derived terms

Related terms

• forma
• informal
  • informalidad
  • informalmente

Further reading

• “formal” in Diccionario de la lengua española, Vigésima tercera edición, Real Academia Española, 2014.