singuliers

Singuliers is the masculine plural form of the French adjective singulier. Singulier has several related senses. In everyday French it can mean peculiar or distinctive, as in un homme singulier. In grammatical terms, singulier designates the singular number—the form that marks one item—in contrast with pluriel. For example, on peut dire: le nom est au singulier, while the plural form would be described as des noms au pluriel. The word can also convey a sense of being unusual or noteworthy when applied to people or objects.

In scientific and mathematical discourse, singulier appears in phrases such as point singulier or fonction singulière to denote non‑regular behavior. In mathematics, une singularité is a point where a geometric object fails to be smooth or where a function ceases to be well-behaved. In complex analysis, a function may have a singularité at a point, such as a pole or an essential singularity. In physics, singularities describe regions where quantities diverge, as in black holes or the early universe. Across these uses, the core idea is departure from regularity or standard behavior.

Etymology and related terms: the word derives from Latin singulus, meaning 'one by one, single.' In French it is cognate with the English singular. The plural form singuliers is used for masculine plural, while singulières is the feminine plural. The term appears in grammar, mathematics, and the sciences with context-dependent nuances but a common root in the notion of individuality or irregularity.