peculiar
- Strange or unusual in a way that is hard to explain or that surprises you.
- Belonging to or typical of only one particular person, place, or thing.
In a sentence
- There was a peculiar smell coming from the science lab that no one could quite identify.
- The peculiar custom of that village involves everyone wearing hats made of flowers every spring.
Usage note. When 'peculiar' means 'belonging to,' it is usually followed by 'to' (e.g., 'a trait peculiar to dolphins'), which is a more formal usage you will often see in nonfiction writing.
Where it comes from
English peculiar · entered English 15th c.
From Latin 'peculiaris,' meaning one's own private property, which came from 'peculium,' meaning private property, and originally 'pecus,' meaning cattle (since cattle were a form of personal wealth). The word entered English in the 15th century, first meaning 'belonging exclusively to someone,' and later developed the sense of 'strange or unusual.'