SPECIFIC

specific

(adjective) stated explicitly or in detail; “needed a specific amount”

specific

(adjective) (sometimes followed by ‘to’) applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique; “rules with specific application”; “demands specific to the job”; “a specific and detailed account of the accident”

specific

(adjective) being or affecting a disease produced by a particular microorganism or condition; used also of stains or dyes used in making microscope slides; “quinine is highly specific for malaria”; “a specific remedy”; “a specific stain is one having a specific affinity for particular structural elements”

specific

(adjective) relating to or distinguishing or constituting a taxonomic species; “specific characters”

specific

(noun) a medicine that has a mitigating effect on a specific disease; “quinine is a specific for malaria”

particular, specific

(noun) a fact about some part (as opposed to general); “he always reasons from the particular to the general”

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Adjective

specific (comparative more specific, superlative most specific)

explicit or definite

(sciences) Pertaining to a species.

(taxonomy) pertaining to a taxon at the rank of species

special, distinctive or unique

intended for, or applying to, a particular thing

Serving to identify a particular thing (often a disease or condition), with little risk of mistaking something else for it.

being a remedy for a particular disease

(immunology) limited to a particular antibody or antigen

(physics) of a value divided by mass (e.g. specific orbital energy)

(physics) similarly referring to a value divided by any measure which acts to standardize it (e.g. thrust specific fuel consumption, referring to fuel consumption divided by thrust)

(physics) a measure compared with a standard reference value by division, to produce a ratio without unit or dimension (e.g. specific refractive index is a pure number, and is relative to that of air)

Synonyms

• (explicit, definite): express, monosemous, unambiguous; see also explicit

• (special, distinctive or unique): singular; see also unique

• (intended for a particular thing): peculiar, singular; see also specific

Antonyms

• unspecific, nonspecific

• (intended for a particular thing): broad, general, generic, universal; see also generic

• all-purpose

• general-purpose

• gross

• nonspecific

• non-specific

• overall

• pandemic

• widespread

Hyponyms

• application-specific

• array-specific

• browser-specific

• client-specific

• company-specific

• conspecific

• container-specific

• culture-specific

• database-specific

• domain-specific

• flight-specific

• Eclipse-specific

• HTTP-specific

• infraspecific

• interspecific

• intraspecific

• JSON-specific

• MySQL-specific

• OS-specific

• platform-specific

• problem-specific

• program-specific

• prostate-specific

• recording-specific

• serotonin-specific

• server-specific

• species-specific

• store-specific

• task-specific

• topic-specific

Noun

specific (plural specifics)

A distinguishing attribute or quality.

A remedy for a specific disease or condition.

Specification

(in the plural) The details; particulars.

Source: Wiktionary

Spe*cif"ic, a. Etym: [F. spécifique, or NL. cpesificus; L. species a particular sort or kind + facere to make. Cf. Specify.]

1. Of or pertaining to a species; characterizing or constituting a species; possessing the peculiar property or properties of a thing which constitute its species, and distinguish it from other things; as, the specific form of an animal or a plant; the specific qualities of a drug; the specific distinction between virtue and vice. Specific difference is that primary attribute which distinguishes each species from one another. I. Watts.

2. Specifying; definite, or making definite; limited; precise; discriminating; as, a specific statement.

3. (Med.)

Definition: Exerting a peculiar influence over any part of the body; preventing or curing disease by a peculiar adaption, and not on general principles; as, quinine is a specific medicine in cases of malaria. In fact, all medicines will be found specific in the perfection of the science. Coleridge. Specific character (Nat. Hist.), a characteristic or characteristics distinguishing one species from every other species of the same genus.

– Specific disease (Med.) (a) A disease which produces a determinate definite effect upon the blood and tissues or upon some special tissue. (b) A disease which is itself uniformly produced by a definite and peculiar poison or organism.

– Specific duty. (Com.) See under Duty.

– Specific gravity. (Physics) See under Gravity.

– Specific heat (Physics), the quantity of heat required to raise temperature of a body one degree, taking as the unit of measure the quantity required to raise the same weight of water from zero to one degree; thus, the specific heat of mercury is 0.033, that of water being 1.000.

– Specific inductive capacity (Physics), the effect of a dielectric body in producing static electric induction as compared with that of some other body or bodies referred to as a standard.

– Specific legacy (Law), a bequest of a particular thing, as of a particular animal or piece of furniture, specified and distinguished from all others. Wharton. Burrill.

– Specific name (Nat., Hist.), the name which, appended to the name of the genus, constitutes the distinctive name of the species; -- originally applied by Linnæus to the essential character of the species, or the essential difference. The present specific name he at first called the trivial name.

– Specific performance (Law), the peformance of a contract or agreement as decreed by a court of equity.

Spe*cif"ic, n.

1. (Med.)

Definition: A specific remedy. See Specific, a., 3. His parents were weak enough to believe that the royal touch was a specific for this malady. Macaulay.

2. Anything having peculiar adaption to the purpose to which it is applied. Dr. H. More.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition

SPECIFIC

Etymology

Adjective

Synonyms

Antonyms

Hyponyms

Noun

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