Merriam-Webster's Collegiate® Dictionary, 11th Edition
PARTICULAR
I. adjective
Etymology: Middle English particuler, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin particularis, from Latin particula small part
Date: 14th century
of, relating to, or being a single person or thing , partial , of, relating to, or concerned with details ,
4. distinctive among other examples or cases of the same general category ; notably unusual , being one unit or element among others ,
5. denoting an individual member or subclass in logic, affirming or denying a predicate to a part of the subject,
6. concerned over or attentive to details ; meticulous , nice in taste ; fastidious , hard to please ; exacting , see: circumstantial
II. noun
Date: 15th century
a separate part of a whole,
2. an individual fact, point, circumstance, or detail , a specific item or detail of information,
3. an individual or a specific subclass (as in logic) falling under some general concept or term, a particular proposition in logic, see: item