About five years ago I posted a Grammar Pedant video on YouTube, and almost immediately regretted it -- mostly because I didn't like putting my goofy mug on YouTube. And frankly, even though I'm still putting my mug on YouTube these days (warning: these videos will not be at all interesting unless you're considering duodenal switch surgery), I'm still not comfortable doing it. So, rather than shooting another Grammar Pedant video, we're just going to cover it here. Right? Right.
UNIQUE.
The Illiterati keep slapping needless modifiers on this adjective, because they don't understand what it means. "Unique" is not, and was never meant to be, a synonym for "unusual." NO, people. Let's look at the etymology:
Unique is a French loan word, derived from the Latin word unicus, from unus or "one." Other words with roots in unicus include unicycle (one wheel), unicorn (one horn), unify (to make one), etc. Notice all those "one" words? I imagine the more perspicacious among us can see where I'm going with this.
When a person, place, thing or concept is unique, there is only one of it in the known world. It is one of a kind. Thus "unique" is a binary adjective; either something is unique, or it is not. There's no "quite unique," no "very unique," no "somewhat unique" or "rather unique" or any other qualifiers to prop up the word. "Unique" prefers to stand on its own. Use it only to describe something that has no peer.
If you're looking for an adjective to describe a rare or unusual item, try "uncommon," "unexpected," "atypical," "different," "creative" or "surprising." All these words yearn to be dusted off and used correctly. SO DO IT!
That's all for now, and remember: the English language is a terrible thing to waste.
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