Partikulare

Partikulare is a term found in several European languages, used primarily as an adjective meaning “particular” or “local.” Its spelling with a k is common in Dutch and in German-language contexts that imitate Latin or older scholarly usage. In Romance languages the corresponding forms are usually spelled with c, such as particolare in some Italian traditions or particulare in Latinized contexts. The exact meaning depends on the domain, but it generally signals something that refers to a specific part of a whole rather than to the whole itself.

In Catholic theology, the related concept ecclesia particularis, commonly translated as the “particular Church,” designates the local church in communion with the universal Church—typically a diocese or equivalent jurisdiction. In German- and Dutch-language theological writing, the adjective Partikulare Kirche or Partikulare Kirche is used to render this idea, distinguishing the local church from the universal church (ecclesia universalis). English-language discussions usually favor the phrase “particular Church” for clarity, but the underlying distinction remains a localization of the broader ecclesial community.

Beyond theology, partikulare can appear in historical or linguistic discussions as an archaism or a direct translation of Latin particula/particularis, referring to a specific item or detail as opposed to general or universal categories. In contemporary usage, however, the term is relatively specialized and more commonly encountered in older texts or in scholarship that preserves non-English spellings.

Overall, partikulare is notable mainly for its cross-domain usage, illustrating how the idea of a part versus a whole has been treated in European intellectual and religious traditions. See also: particular, ecclesia, Partikularkirche.