unique

Everyday

1. Unique means being the only one of its kind, unlike anything else: every snowflake is unique. tree →
2. Unique to something means found only there: koalas are unique to Australia. tree →
3. (informal) Unique is often used to mean very special or unusual. tree →

In the lessons

In science lessons fingerprints, DNA and snowflakes are unique, which is why fingerprints can identify a person. In maths «a unique answer» means there is only one correct answer, and a unique value is one that appears only once. In PSHE lessons «everyone is unique» means each person is special and different. Phrases: unique to, truly unique, a unique chance, unique answer.

Examples

• Every person's fingerprints are unique. tree →
• Kangaroos are unique to Australia. tree →
• This puzzle has a unique solution. tree →
• Our school has a unique garden on the roof. tree →
• Everyone is unique, so we should not all be the same. tree →
• It was a unique chance to meet a real astronaut. tree →
• Each password should be unique so a hacker cannot guess them all. tree →
• The museum has a unique fossil found nowhere else. tree →
• Such a record is unique in the history of oral tradition, outside Ireland, where, however, it is quite a customary experience in the study of the Finn-saga. tree →

Note

Pronounced «yoo-NEEK». Use «a unique» (not «an»), because it starts with a «you» sound. Strictly, unique means «only one», so careful writers avoid «very unique» or «more unique»; say «very unusual» instead. In maths: «unique» = exactly one; if a problem says the answer is unique, there is only one number that works.

In Jewish tradition

In Sefer Yetzirah, God is called "unique" and "has no second," so nothing can be counted before Him. The tradition sees this as the oneness of God, echoing "the LORD is One." In the primary lessons: In science lessons fingerprints, DNA and snowflakes are unique, which is why fingerprints can identify a person. In maths «a unique answer» means there is only one correct answer, and a unique value is one that appears only once. In PSHE lessons «everyone is unique» means each person is special and different. Phrases: unique to, truly unique, a unique chance, unique answer.

Examples

• The root SPR thus holds unique metaphysical significance for the SY, alone representing the totality of language by which the world was created and is sustained. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →
• For the Lord is unique, He has no second—before one, what can you count? [1:8] Ten SEFIROT BELIMAH—Keep your mouth from speaking and your heart from conceiving. (Sefer Yetzirah, Sefaria community translation) tree →

Note

Pronounced «yoo-NEEK». Use «a unique» (not «an»), because it starts with a «you» sound. Strictly, unique means «only one», so careful writers avoid «very unique» or «more unique»; say «very unusual» instead. In maths: «unique» = exactly one; if a problem says the answer is unique, there is only one number that works.