peculier

Peculier is an archaic or nonstandard spelling of the English adjective peculiar. It appears in historical texts and early modern writing but is not used in contemporary, standard English. In modern usage, the form peculiar is preferred.

Etymology and development: The modern word peculiar originates from Latin pecularius, meaning private or belonging to one's own; it passed into Old French as peculier and then into English with variant spellings during Middle English. The form peculier reflects earlier orthographic practices that often varied widely before standardization in later centuries.

Meanings and usage: As a variant spelling, peculier carries the same broad senses as peculiar. These include something distinctive or characteristic of a person, place, or thing; something belonging to a particular group or private domain; and, less commonly, something odd, unusual, or difficult to explain. In standard English writing today, these senses are expressed with peculiar rather than peculier.

Modern status: Today, peculier is largely confined to historical quotations, philological discussion, or dialectal/archaic contexts. For most readers and writers, encountering peculier signals a need to correct to peculiar. When referenced in linguistic or textual studies, peculier may be cited as an historical spelling variant illustrating the evolution of English orthography.

See also: Peculiar; Peculium; Peculation.