Main Entry: ¹spe·cif·ic

Pronunciation: \spi-ˈsi-fik\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Late Latin specificus, from Latin species

Date: circa 1631

1 a : constituting or falling into a specifiable category b : sharing or being those properties of something that allow it to be referred to a particular category
2 a : restricted to a particular individual, situation, relation, or effect <a disease specific to horses> b : exerting a distinctive influence (as on a body part or a disease) <specific antibodies>
3 : free from ambiguity : accurate <a specific statement of faith>
4 : of, relating to, or constituting a species and especially a biological species
5 a : being any of various arbitrary physical constants and especially one relating a quantitative attribute to unit mass, volume, or area b : imposed at a fixed rate per unit (as of weight or count) <specific import duties> — compare ad valorem

synonyms see special, explicit

— spe·cif·i·cal·ly \-fi-k(ə-)lē\ adverb