spécial (French)

Where does "spécial" come from?

The French word "spécial" traces its roots back to the Latin term "specialis," which means "particular" or "specific." This Latin word itself comes from "species," meaning "kind" or "type," derived from the verb "specio," meaning "to see" or "observe." The journey shows how a word tied to sight evolved to describe something distinguished or set apart, eventually entering French through Old French "especial."

Full etymology tree

• spécial (French), 'special'
  • borrowed from specialis (Latin), 'specific'
    • compound of speciēs (Latin), 'seeing, view, look'
    • suffix -ālis (Latin), 'Suffixed to nouns or numerals creating adjectives of relationship.'
      • corresponds to -al (English), 'Of or pertaining to. Adjectival suffix appended to various words, often nouns, to produce an adjective form. Often added to words of Latin origin, but used with other words also.'

Ancestors

• specialis (Latin)

Cognates and doublets

• especial (Old French)

Descendants and derived words

• effet spécial (French)
• envoyé spécial (French)

Updated March 2026

More words starting with S

Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris