▪ I. † especial, n.
[Corruption of espial, due to the influence of L. specĕre to look, or possibly to confusion with next.]
= espial 1 and 2 a.
| a 1500 Chaucer's Friar's T. 23 [MS. Petworth especiale, MSS. Corpus, Lansd. especiaile; other MSS. have the correct reading espiaille]. 1548 Hall Chron. (1809) 283 His especials and Explorators declared and accompted to hym that all the Realme was up. 1555 Eden Decades W. Ind. ii. ii. (Arb.) 112 One of their coompanye standynge vppon the toppe of a hyghe rocke of especiall..beganne to crye Lynnyn sayles. |
▪ II. especial, a.
(ɪˈspɛʃəl)
Forms: 4 especiale, 4–7 -all(e, 5–6 especyal(l, (5 asspeciall, 5–6 asp-, espesyal(l, 6 esspecial, 6–7 aspeciall, 7 especil, -shal, -tial(l), 4– especial.
[a. OF. especial (mod.F. spécial, assimilated to the L. form), ad. L. speciālis (see special) belonging to or concerned with a particular species, special as opposed to general (in med.L. current in legal and philosophical use), f. species species. Cf. Pr., Sp. especial, It. speziale. (Lat. words with initial sp, st, sc, adopted into Fr. before 15th c. usually assumed a euphonic e.)
In OF. the word had developed the secondary sense ‘pre-eminent, important’ (for the transition cf. particular). In Eng. the two forms especial and special differ materially in use; the latter (owing perh. to its closer relation to the L. etymon) is preferred in applications arising proximately from the primary sense, while the former is chiefly confined to the derivative sense. The distinction is still more marked in the advs. especially, specially.]
1. In senses now commonly expressed by special: a. Special as opposed to general (arch.); also in Law † especial pleading, especial tail. † b. Particular, individual, ‘specific’ (obs.). † c. Provided for a particular purpose (obs.).
| c 1400 Rom. Rose 6717 Lo heere the caas especial. 1574 tr. Littleton's Tenures 103 b, By especial pleading he may be barred of the action that he sueth. 1604 Shakes. Oth. iv. ii. 225 There is especiall Commission come from Venice. 1614 Markham Cheap Husb. i. xi. (1668) 49 Spoyling an especial member by some strange contraction. 1628 Coke On Litt. 26 In this case the husband hath an estate in especiall taile. 1754 Richardson Grandison (1781) I. xxvi. 189, I shall dispatch what I shall farther write..by an especial messenger. 1824 Byron Juan xv. xxv, And rend'ring general that which is especial. |
2. Pre-eminent, exceptionally distinguished. Formerly often in phrase (my) especial friend (cf. 3). Now chiefly of feelings, qualities, or attributes: Exceptional in degree. (Obs. in predicative use.)
In examples of 2 and 3 special may commonly be substituted with little change of meaning.
| c 1386 Chaucer Melib. ¶200 First schul ye clepe to youre counseil a fewe of youre frendes that ben especial. 1494 Fabyan ii. xxx. 22 He had hym in shorte whyle in especiall fauoure. 1594 Hooker Eccl. Pol. i. x. (1611) 29 Causeth them to haue especiall respect in making lawes. 1603 Knolles Hist. Turks Ep. Ded., My most especiall good friend Sir Peter Hamond Knight of the Bath. c 1630 Risdon Surv. Devon §28 (1810) 34 It is one of the especialest fisher towns of this shire. 1841 Lane Arab. Nts. I. 95 And among my books is one of the most especial value. 1860 Tyndall Glac. ii. xxviii. 397 One fact of especial importance is to be borne in mind. |
3. Belonging pre-eminently to a particular person or thing; pertaining chiefly to one particular case.
| 1855 Milman Lat. Chr. (1864) II. iii. vii. 152 Every passion, every vice had its especial demon. 1868 M. Pattison (title), Suggestions on Academical Organization, with especial reference to Oxford. 1875 Jowett Plato (ed. 2) I. 233, I must repeat one thing..for your especial benefit. |
4. in especial, also rarely by especial: in particular; especially; particularly. Obs. exc. arch. (Occas. written as one word; cf. inespecially.)
| c 1390 Chaucer Truth 25 And in especial Drawe unto hym and pray in general. c 1430 Pilgr. Lyf Manhode i. xxi. (1869) 15 Þilke he wolde bi especial weren ministres and serueres to him. 14.. Pol. Rel. & L. Poems (1866) 49 At thys parlament most in Asspeciall. 1475 Bk. Noblesse 20 In divers regions, and inespecialle in Fraunce and Normandie. 1477 Earl Rivers Dictes (Caxton) 74 a, He wold haue reserued them inespeciall in his sayd dictes. 1540 Coverdale Old Faith Wks. (Parker Soc.) I. iii. 21, I will now speak of every word in especial. 1828 Scott F.M. Perth xxix, His word, which he addressed to me in especial. 1860 J. Kennedy Swallow B. 14 In especial, I had fallen into some unseemly prejudices. 1881 S. Colvin Life Landor 187 Whether it was of these four dramas and of Count Julian in especial, or of all Landor's dramatic..writings together, that, etc. |
† 5. quasi-n. An especial point, a ‘particular’.
| 1633 D. Rogers Treat. Sacram. i. 173 In this conceive these sixe especialls..breefely. 1. The excellencie of the gift..6. The manner of exhibiting. |
† 6. quasi-adv.
| 1591 F. Sparry tr. Cattan's Geomancie 123 It is especiall good to goe to dwell with great Princes and Lordes. |