The quality or state of being one of a kind; the characteristic that makes something completely different from anything else.
From Latin 'unicus' meaning sole or single, combined with the English suffix '-ness' creating an abstract noun. The adjective 'unique' entered English in the 1600s.
Paradoxically, 'uniqueness' is now marketed and sold—companies profit billions by convincing consumers their mass-produced products make them 'unique,' turning the ultimate individual quality into a commodity that thousands of people buy to be the same way.
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