[sin.gu.lar] adj [ME singuler, fr. MF, fr. L singularis, fr. singulus only one--more at single] (14c) 1 a: of or relating to a separate person or thing: individual b: of, relating to, or being a word form denoting one person, thing, or instance c: of or relating to a single instance or to something considered by itself
2: distinguished by superiority: exceptional "an artist of ~ attainments"
3: being out of the ordinary: unusual "on the way home we had a ~ adventure"
4: departing from general usage or expectation: peculiar, odd "the air had a ~ chill"
5. a of a matrix: having a determinant equal to zero b of a linear transformation: having the property that the matrix of coefficients of the new variables has a determinant equal to zero syn see strange -- sin.gu.lar.ly adv
[2]singular n (14c) 1: the singular number, the inflectional form denoting it, or a word in that form
2: a singular term