Emily Dickinson Lexicon

peculiar, adj. [L. pecūliāris, personal belongings, private property < L. pecū, flock, herd, farm animals.] (webplay: cattle).

1. Unfamiliar; unknown; unseen; unrecognizable; [fig.] deceased; dead.
2. Particular; specific; certain; exact; precise.
3. Unique; uncommon; rare; precious; unusual; extraordinary.
4. Strange; curious; foreign; bizarre; odd; unusual; idiosyncratic; [pun on etymology, L. pecus, cattle.] bovine; cattle-like; with a herd mentality.