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Origin and history of singularity

singularity(n.)

early 13c., singularite, "unusual or exceptional behavior;" mid-14c as "singleness of aim or purpose, devotion to a single thing;" late 14c. as "individual or particular things," from Old French singulerte "peculiarity" (12c., Modern French singularité) and directly from Late Latin singularitatem (nominative singularitas) "a being alone," from singularis "single, solitary, one by one, one at a time; peculiar, remarkable," from singulus "one, one to each, individual, separate" (see single (adj.)).

The meaning "fact of being different from others" is attested from c. 1500. The mathematical sense of "point at which a function takes an infinite value" is from 1893. Astrophysics sense, "point of space where the density of matter or the curvature of space-time becomes infinite" (as in a black hole), is attested from 1965.

also from early 13c.

Entries linking to singularity

single(adj.)

early 14c., "unmarried," from Old French sengle, sangle "alone, unaccompanied; simple, unadorned," from Latin singulus "one, one to each, individual, separate" (usually in plural singuli "one by one"), from PIE *semgolo‑, suffixed (diminutive?) form of root *sem- (1) "one; as one, together with."

The meaning "consisting of one unit, individual, unaccompanied by others" is from late 14c., often merely emphatic. The meaning "undivided" is from 1580s. Single-parent (adj.) is attested from 1966.

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    sedulous
    "diligent in application or pursuit of an object," 1530s, from Latin sedulus "attentive, painstaking, diligent, busy, zealous," probably from sedulo (adv.) "sincerely, diligently," from sedolo "without deception or guile," from se- "without, apart" (see se-) + dolo, ablative of d
    Lent
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    fatigue
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    cousin
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    boisterous
    late 15c., boistreous, "rough, coarse," an unexplained alteration of Middle English boistous (c. 1300) "rough, coarse, clumsy, violent," which itself is of unknown origin, perhaps from Anglo-French bustous "rough (road)," itself perhaps from Old French boisteos "curved, lame; une
    crisis
    early 15c., crise, crisis, "decisive point in the progress of a disease," also "vitally important or decisive state of things, point at which change must come, for better or worse," from Latinized form of Greek krisis "turning point in a disease, that change which indicates recov
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    1660s, "agreement of two or more in design or plan; accord, harmony," from French concert (16c.), from Italian concerto "concert, harmony," from concertare "bring into agreement," apparently from Latin concertare "to contend with zealously, contest, dispute, debate" from assimila
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    "food," originally especially "Chinese food," 1856, American English (originally in California), from Chinese pidgin English chow-chow (1795) "food; mixed pickle or preserve; mix or medley of any sort," perhaps a reduplication of Chinese cha or tsa "mixed," or Cantonese chaau "to
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    "expressing or characterized by sadness or mournfulness; doleful," c. 1600, formerly also lugubrous, from -ous + Latin lugubris "mournful, doleful, pertaining to mourning," from lugere "to mourn," from PIE root *leug- "to break; to cause pain" (source also of Greek lygros "mournf

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