bijzonders

Bijzonders is a Dutch term associated with the adjective bijzonder, meaning "special" or "extraordinary." In ordinary usage, bijzonders is not a common standalone noun; when the adjective is used in a nominal sense, it appears far more often as part of fixed phrases or in the related noun form bijzonderheid (peculiarity, detail) and its plural vanzelfsprekend as bijzonderheden.

In practice, the most frequent way to convey the idea of the exceptional or the unusual is through the noun bijzonderheden or the related compounds rather than a bare plural bijzonders. Nevertheless, the form can surface in lists, headlines, or in contexts where the adjective is effectively treated as a noun to denote “special things” or “special cases,” though this usage is limited and context-dependent.

Common collocations include phrases such as bijzondere omstandigheden (special circumstances), bijzondere gebeurtenissen (special events), en bijzondere kenmerken (distinctive features). These expressions illustrate how Dutch typically lands the meaning of “special” through noun phrases or through the straightforward adjective, rather than relying on a plural noun form of bijzonders.

Etymology centers on the adjective bijzonder, with its sense extended in various compounds and phrases to denote anything that stands out from the ordinary. For most writers and editors, the standard references for “special” details or features remain bijzonderheid and bijzonderheden, while bijzonders is comparatively rare and largely confined to specific stylistic or nominalized uses.