SPECIFY

assign, specify, set apart

(verb) select something or someone for a specific purpose; “The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise”

intend, destine, designate, specify

(verb) design or destine; “She was intended to become the director”

specify, set, determine, define, fix, limit

(verb) decide upon or fix definitely; “fix the variables”; “specify the parameters”

stipulate, qualify, condition, specify

(verb) specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement; “The will stipulates that she can live in the house for the rest of her life”; “The contract stipulates the dates of the payments”

specify, particularize, particularise, specialize, specialise

(verb) be specific about; “Could you please specify your criticism of my paper?”

specify, define, delineate, delimit, delimitate

(verb) determine the essential quality of

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Verb

specify (third-person singular simple present specifies, present participle specifying, simple past and past participle specified)

(transitive) To state explicitly, or in detail, or as a condition.

(transitive) To include in a specification.

(transitive) To bring about a specific result.

(intransitive, obsolete) To speak explicitly or in detail (often used with of).

Synonyms

• explicitize

• disambiguate

Source: Wiktionary

Spec"i*fy, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Specified; p. pr. & vb. n. Specifying.] Etym: [F. spécifier, or OF. especifier, fr. LL. specificare. See Species, -fy.]

Definition: To mention or name, as a particular thing; to designate in words so as to distinguish from other things; as, to specify the uses of a plant; to specify articles purchased. He has there given us an exact geography of Greece, where the countries and the uses of their soils are specified. Pope.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition