specimen

C1 Topic:Word Formation & Derivatives

US /ˈspɛsɪmɪn/ See IPA manual

Freq #9649

Meanings

1

noun
A single example of something, used to show what the whole group is like.

This butterfly is a fine specimen of a rare species.
2

noun
A small sample of blood, urine, or tissue taken for medical testing.

The nurse asked me to provide a urine specimen for the lab.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

individual sample

Word family

Forms specimens

Derived forms biospecimeninterspecimenintraspecimenmultispecimenspecimenize

Related forms species

Appears in

Phrases (1)

See all

type specimen
a specimen serving as the reference for the description of a species

Noun + noun

Etymology

From Latin specimen (“mark, sign, example”), from speciō (“observe, watch”).

*speḱ- Proto-Indo-European

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Word Formation & Derivatives Register & Style General Vocabulary

External links

# specimen

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C1
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** /ˈspɛsɪmɪn/
**Frequency rank:** 9649

## Meanings
1. A single example of something, used to show what the whole group is like.
2. A small sample of blood, urine, or tissue taken for medical testing.

## Examples
- This butterfly is a fine specimen of a rare species.
- The nurse asked me to provide a urine specimen for the lab.

## Synonyms
- individual
- sample

## Derived Forms
- biospecimen
- interspecimen
- intraspecimen
- multispecimen
- specimenize

## Related Forms
- species

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: *speḱ-

## Etymology
From Latin specimen (“mark, sign, example”), from speciō (“observe, watch”).

## AI Etymology
Specimen is from Latin specimen (“mark, sign, example”), from speciō (“observe, watch”). A key historical form is Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-. In present-day use, it can mean a single example of something, used to show what the whole group is like, or a small sample of blood, urine, or tissue taken for medical testing. Derived formations include biospecimen, interspecimen, intraspecimen, multispecimen, specimenize. Related words include species.

## Topics
- Word Formation & Derivatives
- Register & Style
- General Vocabulary

markdown