specimen en · NOUN
Pronunciation
Etymology
From Latin specimen (“mark, sign, example”), from speciō (“observe, watch”).
Meanings
-
An individual instance that represents a class; an example.
a specimen of my own handwriting
To assure a defendant's acquittal, a lawyer usually needed only to convince the jury that the victim was a pretty sorry specimen of a human being.
2006, Bill Neal, Getting Away with Murder on the Texas Frontier:"You're a nice specimen for a clergyman," he said at length, "with your preachin" an" your psalm-singin', an" your Sunday coat on."
1913, Norman Lindsay, A Curate in Bohemia, Sydney: N.S.W. Bookstall Co., published 1932, page 34:It has been a common misinterpretation by both Marxists and anti-Marxists to suppose that he regarded human beings merely as specimens of social classes, and that the 'restoration of their species-essence' meant the annihilation of individuality or its reduction to a common social nature.
1978 [1976], Leszek Kołakowski, translated by P[aul] S[teven] Falla, Main Currents of Marxism, volume I: The Founders, Oxford: Clarendon Press, translation of Główne nurty marksizmu: powstanie (in Polish), →ISBN, →OCLC, page 161:early specimens of the art of Picasso
- An individual instance that represents a class; an example. ▸ A banknote printed for distribution to central banks to aid in the recognition of banknotes from a country other than their own
- An individual instance that represents a class; an example. ▸ A postage stamp sent to postmasters and postal administrations so that they are able to identify valid stamps and to avoid forgeries
-
(derogatory) An individual instance that represents a class; an example. ▸ An unpleasant or contemptible person.
such a loathsome specimen of humanity
- A sample, especially one used for diagnostic analysis.
- (humorous, qualifier:often preceded with “fine”) An eligible man.
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| specimina | Number=Plur | rare | lexicographic |
| specimens | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Deriveds
specimen signature · type specimen · intraspecimen · interspecimen · specimen bag · multispecimen · biospecimen · specimenize · speciman
Relateds
Synonyms
Translations (66)
nl voorbeeld (example) · bg проба (sample) · ja 標本 (sample) · it esemplare (example) · pt espécime (example) · ja 見本 (example) · ru препара́т (sample) · bg образец (example) · ro exemplar (example) · bho नमूना (sample) · de Probe (sample) · pt amostra (sample) · ko 표본 (example) · pl przykład (example) · de Muster (example) · es espécimen (example) · ca espècimen (example) · hy օրինակ (example) · gd sampall (sample) · mi pota (sample) · cmn 樣本 /样本 (example) · fi näyte (sample) · gd sampall (example) · es ejemplar (sample) · aig kodenguu (example) · io specimeno (sample) · fr exemple (sample) · pt exemplar (sample) · it campione (sample) · hu minta (sample) · el δείγμα (sample) · ru экземпля́р (jocular: an eligible man) · el δείγμα (example) · fr spécimen (example) · pdt Proow (sample) · ro specimen (example) · nl specimen (sample) · pt exemplar (example) · vi mẫu vật (sample) · cs ukázka (example) · hu példány (example) · ru образе́ц (example) · is sýnataka (example) · fi esimerkki (example) · sv exemplar (example) · pl próbka (sample) · az nümunə (example) · fi näytepala (sample) · it esemplare (jocular: an eligible man) · ru экземпля́р (example) · de Exemplar (example) · ko 표본 (sample) · id spesimen (sample) · pl osobnik (example) · az nümunə (sample) · hy նմուշ (example) · de Spezimen (sample) · fr exemple (example) · da eksemplar (example) · cs vzorek (sample) · la specimen (example) · cmn 標本 /标本 (sample) · cs exemplář (example) · ru про́ба (sample) · sv specimen (sample) · pl okaz (example)