szczególnych

Szczególnych is the genitive plural and accusative plural form of the Polish adjective szczególny, meaning “particular, specific” or, in some contexts, “special” or “peculiar.” It occurs when the noun it modifies is plural and the phrase requires a plural form in genitive or accusative cases. Common contexts include formal or legal language, where it marks cases or circumstances that are not general but specific to a subset of items, for example szczególnych przypadków (in particular cases) or w szczególnych okolicznościach (under special circumstances).

Etymology: The adjective szczególny shares a root with the noun szczegół, meaning detail; historically the sense has evolved from “detail” to convey the idea of particularity, distinctness, or specificity in general usage.

Morphology: As a standard Polish adjective, szczególny inflects according to gender, number, and case. The form szczególnych is the plural genitive or plural accusative; other forms include szczególni (masculine personal nominative plural), szczególne (neuter and plural non-personal), and feminine szczególna (nominative singular), among others. The word typically accompanies a plural noun and does not stand alone in most contexts.

Usage notes: It contrasts with szczegółowy (detailed) and ogólny (general). It is common in official, administrative, and academic texts to emphasize applicability to a subset rather than to all.

Examples:

- W szczególnych przypadkach prawo dopuszcza inne zasady.

- W szczególnych okolicznościach decyzja podlega zmianie.

- Dane dotyczą szczególnych grup.

See also: szczególny, szczegółowy, szczegół.