specific

(spĭ-sĭf'ĭk)
adj.

1. Explicitly set forth; definite. See synonyms at explicit.
2. Relating to, characterizing, or distinguishing a species.
3. Special, distinctive, or unique: specific qualities and attributes.
4. 1. Intended for, applying to, or acting on a particular thing: a specific remedy for warts.
   2. Concerned particularly with the subject specified. Often used in combination: "age-specific voting patterns" (A. Dianne Schmidley).
5. 1. Designating a disease produced by a particular microorganism or condition.
   2. Having a remedial influence or effect on a particular disease.
6. Immunology. Having an affinity limited to a particular antibody or antigen.
7. 1. Designating a customs charge levied on merchandise by unit or weight rather than according to value.
   2. Designating a commodity rate applicable to the transportation of a single commodity between named points.

n.

1. 1. Something particularly fitted to a use or purpose.
   2. A remedy intended for a particular ailment or disorder.
2. 1. A distinguishing quality or attribute.
   2. specifics Distinct items or details; particulars.

[Late Latin specificus : Latin speciēs, kind, species; see species + Latin -ficus, -fic.]

specifically spe·cif'i·cal·ly adv.
specificity spec'i·fic'i·ty (spĕs'ə-fĭs'ĭ-tē) n.

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1. Denoting that an extensive physical quantity so described is expressed per unit mass. For example, the specific latent heat of a body is its latent heat per unit mass. When the extensive physical quantity is denoted by a capital letter (e.g. L for latent heat), the specific quantity is denoted by the corresponding lower-case letter (e.g. l for specific latent heat). 2. In some older physical quantities the adjective 'specific' was added for other reasons (e.g. specific gravity, specific resistance). These names are now no longer used.

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physics Correctly implies quantity per unit mass, but used otherwise in such obsolete terms as specific gravity (correctly relative volumic mass) and specific resistance (correctly resistivity).

adjective

1. Clearly, fully, and sometimes emphatically expressed: categorical, clear, clear-cut, decided, definite, explicit, express, positive, precise, unambiguous, unequivocal. See clear/unclear.
2. Fixed and distinct from others: express, particular, set¹, special. See specific/general.
3. Of, relating to, or intended for a distinctive thing or group: especial, individual, particular, special. See specific/general.

adj

Definition: particular, distinguishing
Antonyms: general, indefinite, uncertain, vague

IN BRIEF: Definite or exact.

What matters, therefore, is not the meaning of life in general, but rather the specific meaning of a person's life at a given moment. — Viktor Frankl (1905-1997)

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

sign description: Both index fingers come together.

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the degree to which an association between two molecular units may be considered unique; in many applications it is judged by the magnitude of an effect (enzyme-substrate, ligand-receptor interaction, or drug action). It is measured under defined conditions, in relation to the magnitude of effect of other substances with similar action, and when the substance is in direct competition with other such substances. The competitive success of other substances is normally quantified by kinetic analysis. See competitive inhibition, specificity constant.

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The quality of having a certain action, as of affecting only certain organisms or tissues, or reacting only with certain substances, as antibodies with certain antigens (antigen specificity).

• drug s. — the degree to which the effects of a drug are due to the one pharmacological action.
• host s. — the restricted infectivity of a particular parasite to a certain species or group of hosts.
• test s. — the probability of a test correctly identifying those patients which are not infected or which do not have the specified condition. A fundamental parameter of any diagnostic test. See also sensitivity.

For a list of words related to specificity, see:

• Physiology - specificity: influence directed toward one response or body part

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See words rhyming with "specific."

  See crossword solutions for the clue Specific.

Common misspelling(s) of specific

• specif

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - særlig, speciel, særegen, specifik, enkelt, udtrykkelig, artsegen
n. - særegenhed, specifikation, specifikt middel

idioms:

• specific cause    særlig årsag
• specific difference    artsforskel
• specific disease    særlig sygdom
• specific heat capacity    specifik varmekapacitet
• specific medicine    specifikt lægemiddel
• specific performance    naturalopfyldelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
bijzonderheid, detail, bepaald, specifiek

Français (French)
adj. - déterminé, spécifique
n. - (Méd) médicament, remède spécifique

idioms:

• specific cause    cause spécifique
• specific difference    différence spécifique
• specific disease    maladie spécifique
• specific heat capacity    capacité thermique
• specific medicine    remède spécifique
• specific performance    (Jur) exécution en nature

Deutsch (German)
adj. - bestimmt, eigen, spezifisch
n. - Einzelheiten, Details

idioms:

• specific cause    Grund für eine bestimmte Krankheitsform
• specific difference    Faktor, der zwischen Arten unterscheidet
• specific disease    Krankheit, die auf einem identifizierbaren Grund beruht
• specific heat capacity    spezifische Wärmekapazität
• specific medicine    spezifisches Heilmittel
• specific performance    ausdrückliche Erfüllung, effektive Vertragserfüllung

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - ειδικός, συγκεκριμένος, ρητός
n. - συγκεκριμένο στοιχείο

idioms:

• specific cause    ειδοποιό αίτιο
• specific difference    ειδοποιός διαφορά
• specific disease    ρευματισμοί
• specific heat capacity    ειδική θερμοχωρητικότητα
• specific medicine    ειδικό φάρμακο
• specific performance    (νομ.) αυτούσια εκτέλεση συμβάσεως

Italiano (Italian)
dettaglio, determinato, specifico

idioms:

• specific cause    causa specifica
• specific difference    differenza specifica
• specific disease    malattia specifica
• specific heat capacity    calore specifico
• specific medicine    medicina specifica
• specific performance    esecuzione specifica

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - específico (m), claro (m), preciso (m)
n. - aspecto específico

idioms:

• specific cause    causa específica
• specific difference    diferença especifica
• specific disease    doença especifica
• specific heat capacity    capacidade de calor específico
• specific medicine    remédio específico
• specific performance    desempenho específico

Русский (Russian)
особый, специальный, конкретный, специфический, определенный, детали, подробности, специальное сообщение

idioms:

• specific cause    конкретная причина
• specific difference    особое различие
• specific disease    определенная болезнь
• specific heat capacity    удельная теплоемкость
• specific medicine    специфическое средство, лекарство от определенной болезни
• specific performance    особое представление

Español (Spanish)
adj. - determinado, fijado, específico
n. - detalle, particularidad, pormenor

idioms:

• specific cause    causa de una forma determinada de la enfermedad
• specific difference    factor de diferencia entre las especies
• specific disease    enfermedad causada por un agente específico
• specific heat capacity    capacidad de calor específico
• specific medicine    medicina o medicamento específico
• specific performance    ejecución estricta

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - uttrycklig, bestämd, noggrann, specifik
n. - specifikum (med)

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
特殊的, 具有特效的, 明确的, 特性, 详情, 特效药, 详细说明书

idioms:

• specific cause    特殊原因
• specific difference    种的区别, 种的差异, 物种差异
• specific disease    特殊病
• specific heat capacity    比热, 1克物质升高1摄氏度温度时所需的热量
• specific medicine    特效药
• specific performance    特定履行, 强制履行

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 特殊的, 具有特效的, 明確的
n. - 特性, 詳情, 特效藥, 詳細說明書

idioms:

• specific cause    特殊原因
• specific difference    種的區別, 種的差異, 物種差異
• specific disease    特殊病
• specific heat capacity    比熱, 1克物質升高1攝氏度溫度時所需的熱量
• specific medicine    特效藥
• specific performance    特定履行, 強制履行

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 종의, 일정한, 명확한
n. - 명확한 것, 상세한 점, 특효약

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 明確な, 特定の, 特有の, 固有の
n. - 特効薬, 詳細

idioms:

• specific cause    特異的原因
• specific difference    種差
• specific disease    特異的疾患
• specific gravity    比重
• specific heat capacity    比熱容量
• specific medicine    特効薬
• specific performance    特定履行

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) معين, محدد, (وزن) نوعي (الاسم) دواء شافي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מדוייק, מפורט, מיוחד, סגולי, פרטי, אופייני, ספציפי‬
n. - ‮תרופה מיוחדת (מיושן), היבט או גורם מיוחד‬

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