different between singular vs droll

English

Alternative forms

• sing., sg., sg (abbreviation)

Etymology

From Middle English singuler, borrowed from Old French, from Latin singul?ris (“alone of its kind”), from Latin singulus (“single”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s???j?l?/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s???j?l?/

Adjective

singular (comparative more singular, superlative most singular)

1. Being only one of a larger population.

   Synonym: individual

   Antonym: general

2. Being the only one of the kind; unique.

   • The busts […] of the emperors and empresses are all very scarce, and some of them almost singular in their kind.

   • And God forbid that all a company / Should rue a singular manne's folly.

   • 1620, Francis Bacon, Novum Organum

     singular instances

   Synonym: unique

3. Distinguished by superiority: peerless, unmatched, eminent, exceptional, extraordinary.

   Synonyms: exceptional, extraordinary, remarkable

4. Out of the ordinary; curious.
   • 1641, John Denham, The Sophy

     So singular a sadness / Must have a cause as strange as the effect.

   Synonyms: curious, eccentric, funny, odd, peculiar, rum, rummy, strange, unusual

5. (grammar) Referring to only one thing or person.

   Antonym: plural

6. (linear algebra, of matrix) Having no inverse.

   Synonym: non-invertible

   Antonyms: invertible, non-singular

7. (linear algebra, of transformation) Having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero.
8. (set theory, of a cardinal number) Not equal to its own cofinality.
9. (law) Each; individual.

10. (obsolete) Engaged in by only one on a side; single.

    • Thus made he an end, and the two princes allowed well of his last motion, and so order was taken, that they should fight togither in a singular combat

Synonyms

• (being only one): see also Thesaurus:specific
• (being the only one of a kind): see also Thesaurus:unique
• (being out of the ordinary): see also Thesaurus:strange

Antonyms

• (being only one): see also Thesaurus:generic

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

singular (plural singulars)

1. (grammar) A form of a word that refers to only one person or thing.

   Antonym: plural

2. (logic) That which is not general; a specific determinate instance.

Derived terms

• singulare tantum

Related terms

• plural

Translations

See also

• (grammatical numbers) grammatical number; singular, dual, trial, quadral, paucal, plural ^{(Category: en:Grammar)}

Further reading

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

Anagrams

• rail guns, railguns

Catalan

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin singul?ris. Doublet of senglar.

Pronunciation

• (Balearic, Central) IPA^(key): /si?.?u?la/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /si?.?u?la?/

Adjective

singular (masculine and feminine plural singulars)

1. singular

   Antonym: plural

Derived terms

• singularment

Related terms

Galician

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin singul?ris.

Adjective

singular m or f (plural singulares)

1. (grammar) singular

Portuguese

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin singul?ris. Doublet of senheiro.

Adjective

singular m or f (plural singulares, comparable)

1. singular (being the only one of a kind)

   Synonym: único

2. (grammar) singular (referring to only one thing)

   Antonym: plural

Derived terms

• singularmente

Related terms

• singularidade

Noun

singular m (plural singulares)

1. (grammar) singular (form of a word that refers to only one thing)

   Antonym: plural

Serbo-Croatian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin singul?ris.

Noun

s?ngul?r m (Cyrillic spelling ??????????)

1. singular

   Synonym: jednìna

Declension

Spanish

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin singul?ris. Doublet of señero.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /sin?u?la?/, [s??.?u?la?]

Adjective

singular (plural singulares)

1. singular

   Antonym: plural

2. odd, peculiar

Derived terms

• singularmente

Related terms

• singularidad

Noun

singular m (plural singulares)

1. singular

   Antonym: plural

Further reading

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

English

Etymology

From French drôle (“comical, odd, funny”), from drôle (“buffoon”) from Middle French drolle (“a merry fellow, pleasant rascal”) from Old French drolle (“one who lives luxuriously”), from Middle Dutch drol (“fat little man, goblin”) from Old Norse troll (“giant, troll”) (compare Middle High German trolle (“clown”)), from Proto-Germanic *truzl? (“creature which walks clumsily”), from *truzlan? (“to walk with short steps”). Doublet of troll.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /d???l/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /d?o?l/
• Rhymes: -??l

Adjective

droll (comparative droller, superlative drollest)

1. Oddly humorous; whimsical, amusing in a quaint way; waggish.

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:witty

Derived terms

• drollery
• drollness
• drolly

Translations

Noun

droll (plural drolls)

1. (archaic) A funny person; a buffoon, a wag.
   • 1751, Tobias Smollett, The Adventures of Peregrine Pickle, vol I, ch. 34:

     The lieutenant was a droll in his way, Peregrine possessed a great fund of sprightliness and good humour, and Godfrey, among his other qualifications already recited, sung a most excellent song […] .

Verb

droll (third-person singular simple present drolls, present participle drolling, simple past and past participle drolled)

1. (archaic) To jest, to joke.

Anagrams

• roll'd

Icelandic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /tr?tl/
• Rhymes: -?tl

Noun

droll n (genitive singular drolls, no plural)

1. dawdling, loitering

Declension

Related terms

• drolla