singulières

Singulières is the feminine plural form of the French adjective singulier, used to describe things that are distinctive, unusual, or remarkable. It can convey a sense of peculiarity or individuality beyond mere quantity, and it typically modifies feminine plural nouns.

Etymology and forms: Singulières comes from the Latin singulus, meaning “one, single,” through the Old French form singulier. The base adjective singulier has a gendered and number-specific paradigm: singulier (masculine singular), singulière (feminine singular), singuliers (masculine plural), and singulières (feminine plural). The feminine plural form appears when referring to several feminine nouns.

Usage: In everyday French, singulières describes qualities or features that stand out. Examples include des idées singulières (distinctive ideas), des situations singulières (unusual situations), and des propositions singulières (peculiar propositions). The term can carry a neutral or slightly evaluative tone, depending on context, ranging from simply noting difference to expressing admiration or surprise at the unusual.

In specialized contexts, such as mathematics or philosophy, the root singulier appears in terms like solution singulière or point singulier, where feminine agreement follows the gender of the noun it modifies (e.g., solutions singulières). However, the meaning remains linked to the idea of singularity or distinctiveness.

See also: singulier, singularité, singularité mathématique.