different between unique vs aberrant

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French unique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ju??ni?k/
• Rhymes: -i?k

Adjective

unique (comparative uniquer or more unique, superlative uniquest or most unique)

1. (not comparable) Being the only one of its kind; unequaled, unparalleled or unmatched.

   Synonyms: one of a kind, sui generis, singular

2. Of a feature, such that only one holder has it.
3. Particular, characteristic.
4. (proscribed) Of a rare quality, unusual.

Usage notes

• The comparative and superlative forms uniquer or more unique and uniquest or most unique, as well as the use of unique with modifiers as in fairly unique and very unique, are grammatically proscribed, with the reasoning that either something is unique or it is not.

Derived terms

• uniquely
• uniqueness
• uniquity

Related terms

• unicity
• one-of-a-kind
• inimitable

Translations

Noun

unique (plural uniques)

1. A thing without a like; something unequalled or unparallelled; one of a kind.
   • a. 1859, Thomas De Quincey, Language

     The phoenix, the unique of birds.

Translations

Further reading

• unique in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• unique in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• “unique” in Roget's Thesaurus, T. Y. Crowell Co., 1911.

French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin ?nicus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /y.nik/

Adjective

unique (plural uniques)

1. unique
2. only

Derived terms

Related terms

• un

Descendants

• ? Danish: unik
• ? Dutch: uniek
• ? Norwegian Bokmål: unik
• ? Norwegian Nynorsk: unik
• ? Swedish: unik
• ? Turkish: ünik

Further reading

• “unique” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

English

Etymology

From Latin aberr?ns, present active participle of aberr? (“go astray; err”), from ab (“from”) + err? (“to wander”). See aberr.

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /?.?b?.??nt/, /?æ.b?.??nt/
• (US) IPA^(key): /?.?b?.??nt/, /?æ.b?.??nt/

Adjective

aberrant (comparative more aberrant, superlative most aberrant)

1. Differing from the norm. [First attested sometime between the mid 16^th century and the early 17^th century.]
2. (sometimes figuratively) Straying from the right way; deviating from morality or truth. [First attested in the mid 18^th century.]
3. (botany, zoology) Deviating from the ordinary or natural type; exceptional; abnormal. [First attested in the mid 19^th century.]

Synonyms

• (differing from the norm): abnormal, exceptional, unusual; see also Thesaurus:strange
• (straying from the right way): devious, errant, immoral; see also Thesaurus:immoral
• (deviating from the natural type):

Antonyms

• (differing from the norm): normal, regular, true; see also Thesaurus:normal
• (straying from the right way): correct, right, straight; see also Thesaurus:virtuous
• (deviating from the natural type): continuous

Derived terms

Translations

Noun

aberrant (plural aberrants)

1. A person or object that deviates from the rest of a group.
2. (biology) A group, individual, or structure that deviates from the usual or natural type, especially with an atypical chromosome number.

Synonyms

• (thing deviating from the group): deviant, freak; see also Thesaurus:anomaly
• (thing deviating from the natural type):

Translations

References

Catalan

Etymology

From Latin aberr?ns, present active participle of aberr? (“go astray; err”).

Pronunciation

• (Balearic) IPA^(key): /?.b??rant/
• (Central) IPA^(key): /?.b??ran/
• (Valencian) IPA^(key): /a.be?rant/

Adjective

aberrant (masculine and feminine plural aberrants)

1. aberrant
2. (pathology) aberrant (indicating an organ or other tissue which is not in its expected location)

Related terms

• aberració
• aberrància

Further reading

• “aberrant” in Diccionari de la llengua catalana, segona edició, Institut d’Estudis Catalans.

French

Etymology

From Latin aberrant-, stem of aberr?ns, present active participle of aberr? (“go astray; err”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /a.b?.???/

Adjective

aberrant (feminine singular aberrante, masculine plural aberrants, feminine plural aberrantes)

1. aberrant, abnormal or anomalous
2. (sciences) which is impossible according to the norms or rules

Related terms

• aberrer

Further reading

• “aberrant” in Trésor de la langue française informatisé (The Digitized Treasury of the French Language).

German

Etymology

From Latin aberr?ns, present active participle of aberr? (“go astray; err”).

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ant

Adjective

aberrant (comparative aberranter, superlative am aberrantesten)

1. aberrant

Declension

Further reading

• “aberrant” in Duden online

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /a?ber.rant/, [ä?b?r?än?t?]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /a?ber.rant/, [??b?r??n?t?]

Verb

aberrant

1. third-person plural present active indicative of aberr?

Norwegian Bokmål

Etymology

From Latin aberr?ns (“wandering, straying or deviating from”), present active participle of aberr? (“I wander, stray; aberr”), from both ab- (“from, away from”), from ab (“from, away from, of”), from Proto-Italic *ab, from Proto-Indo-European *h?epó (“off, away”) + and from err? (“I wander, astray; err”), from Proto-Italic *erz?? (“to roam, wander; go astray, waver”), from Proto-Indo-European *h?ers-eh?-yé-ti, from Proto-Indo-European *h?ers- (“to flow”). Doublet of aberrasjon.

The noun is a substantivisation of the adjective, with the same etymology.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ab??rant/
• Rhymes: -ant
• Hyphenation: ab?err?ant

Adjective

aberrant (neuter singular aberrant, definite singular and plural aberrante, comparative mer aberrant, superlative mest aberrant)

1. (especially medicine) aberrant (deviating from the ordinary or natural type; exceptional; abnormal)

Noun

aberrant m (definite singular aberranten, indefinite plural aberranter, definite plural aberrantene)

1. (botany, zoology) an aberrant (a group, individual, or structure that deviates from the usual or natural type, especially with an atypical chromosome number)

References

• “aberrant” in Det Norske Akademis ordbok (NAOB).
• “aberrant” in Store norske leksikon