# unique

Pronunciation: say "yoo-NEEK" /juːˈniːk/

## Adjective

1. Being the only one of its kind, without equal or parallel.
   - Simple: Being the only one of its kind, with nothing else like it.
   - _The manuscript is unique, the only surviving copy from that period._
   - _Their approach to the problem was unique, unlike anything attempted before._
2. Remarkable or unusual; of a rare and uncommon quality.
   - Simple: Very unusual or special, not like the ordinary kind.
   - _The festival offered a rather unique blend of music and dance._
   - _She brought a unique perspective to the team's discussions._
3. Belonging to or typical of only one particular person, place or thing, and found nowhere else.
   - Simple: Belonging only to one person, place or thing and not found anywhere else.
   - _The enzyme is unique to this species and appears in no other organism._
   - _This dialect feature is unique to the island's oldest residents._

## Noun

4. Something without a like; an object or being that stands alone as one of a kind.
   - Simple: A thing that is the only one of its kind, with nothing else like it.
   - _Deep in the dungeon, players finally meet the uniques, named monsters far tougher than ordinary foes._
   - _Rare-book dealers prize a unique above almost anything, since no rival copy can ever turn up to lower its value._

## Origin

English took it from French "unique." Its parts match those of "any," which makes the two words piecewise doublets.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/unique (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).