different between special vs narrow

English

Etymology

From Middle English *special, especial, especiall, from Old French especial (whence also French spécial), from Latin specialis (from species, speciei).

Pronunciation

• enPR: sp??sh?l, IPA^(key): /?sp?.??l/
• Rhymes: -???l

Adjective

special (comparative more special or specialer, superlative most special or specialest)

1. Distinguished by a unique or unusual quality.

2. Of particular personal interest or value; dear; beloved.

3. (euphemistic) Of or related to disabilities, especially learning or intellectual disabilities.

4. Constituting or relating to a species.

5. Chief in excellence.
6. (military) Of or related to unconventional warfare.

Antonyms

• (distinguished by a unique or unusual quality): common, non-special, ordinary, usual

Derived terms

Related terms

Translations

Noun

special (plural specials)

1. A reduction in consumer cost (usually for a limited time) for items or services rendered.

2. One of a rotation of meals systematically offered for a lower price at a restaurant.

3. (broadcasting) Unusual or exceptional episode of a series.

4. (Britain, colloquial) A special constable.
5. Anything that is not according to normal practice, plan, or schedule, as an unscheduled run of transportation that is normally scheduled.

6. Any unlicensed medicine produced or obtained for a specific individual patient.
7. (journalism) A correspondent; a journalist sent to the scene of an event to report back.
8. (journalism) A dispatch sent back by a special correspondent.
9. (theater) A light that illuminates a specific person or thing on the stage.
   • 2009, Steven Shelley, A Practical Guide to Stage Lighting (page 132)

     In addition to followspots, there will be three frontlight specials on Autoyokes hung on the truss to provide frontlight specials.

   • 2009, Jennifer Bringle, Lighting (page 23)

     The first is a special—a single lighting instrument that lights a particular spot on the stage. Specials generally have no color, or a more saturated color, allowing them to stand out through other lighting onstage.

Translations

Verb

special (third-person singular simple present specials, present participle specialing or specialling, simple past and past participle specialed or specialled)

1. (nursing) To supervise a patient one-on-one.

Anagrams

• epicals, piacles, plaices

Dutch

Etymology

Borrowed from English special.

Pronunciation

• (Netherlands) IPA^(key): /?sp?.??l/, /?sp?.??l/
• Hyphenation: spe?ci?al

Noun

special m (plural specials)

1. A special broadcast episode.

Related terms

• speciaal

Middle French

Adjective

special m (feminine singular speciale, masculine plural speciaulx, feminine plural speciales)

1. special; extraordinary; beyond what is usual

Romanian

Etymology

From French spécial, from Latin specialis.

Adjective

special m or n (feminine singular special?, masculine plural speciali, feminine and neuter plural speciale)

1. special

Declension

English

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?næ???/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?næ?o?/, /?n??o?/
• (Mary–marry–merry distinction)
• (Mary–marry–merry merger)
• Rhymes: -ær??

Etymology 1

From Middle English narow, narowe, narewe, narwe, naru, from Old English nearu (“narrow, strait, confined, constricted, not spacious, limited, petty; limited, poor, restricted; oppressive, causing anxiety (of that which restricts free action of body or mind), causing or accompanied by difficulty, hardship, oppressive; oppressed, not having free action; strict, severe”), from Proto-Germanic *narwaz (“constricted, narrow”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)ner- (“to turn, bend, twist, constrict”). Cognate with Scots naro, narow, narrow (“narrow”), North Frisian naar, noar, noor (“narrow”), Saterland Frisian noar (“bleak, dismal, meager, ghastly, unwell”), Saterland Frisian Naarwe (“scar”), West Frisian near (“narrow”), Dutch naar (“dismal, bleak, ill, sick”), Low German naar (“dismal, ghastly”), German Narbe (“scar”), Norwegian norve (“a clip, staple”), Icelandic njörva- (“narrow-”, in compounds).

Adjective

narrow (comparative narrower, superlative narrowest)

1. Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth.
2. Of little extent; very limited; circumscribed.
   • 1675, John Wilkins, Of the Principles and Duties of Natural Religion

     The Jews were but a small nation, and confined to a narrow compass in the world.

3. (figuratively) Restrictive; without flexibility or latitude.

4. Contracted; of limited scope; bigoted

5. Having a small margin or degree.
6. (dated) Limited as to means; straitened

   narrow circumstances

7. Parsimonious; niggardly; covetous; selfish.
   • a. 1719, George Smalridge, The Hopes of a Recompense from Men must not be our chief Aim in doing Good

     a very narrow […] and stinted charity

8. Scrutinizing in detail; close; accurate; exact.
9. (phonetics) Formed (as a vowel) by a close position of some part of the tongue in relation to the palate; or (according to Bell) by a tense condition of the pharynx; distinguished from wide.

Antonyms

• wide
• broad

Related terms

• narrowly
• narrowness

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

narrow (plural narrows)

1. (chiefly in the plural) A narrow passage, especially a contracted part of a stream, lake, or sea; a strait connecting two bodies of water.
   • 1858', William Gladstone, Studies on Homer and the Homeric Age

     Near the island lay on one side the jaws of a dangerous narrow.

Etymology 2

From Middle English narwen (“to narrow”); see there for more details, but ultimately derived from the noun.

Verb

narrow (third-person singular simple present narrows, present participle narrowing, simple past and past participle narrowed)

1. (transitive) To reduce in width or extent; to contract.

2. (intransitive) To get narrower.

3. (of a person or eyes) To partially lower one's eyelids in a way usually taken to suggest a defensive, aggressive or penetrating look.

4. (knitting) To contract the size of, as a stocking, by taking two stitches into one.
5. (transitive, programming) To convert to a data type that cannot hold as many distinct values.

   Antonym: widen

Synonyms

• taper

Derived terms

• narrow down
• renarrow

Translations