Etymology

specialize

spe·cial·ize
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Today it means: To go into specific details. Full definition →

First used late 19th c.English special ← Middle English especial
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The story

  1. Middle Englishespecial
  2. Englishspecial
  3. English todayspecialize

From special + -ize.

First known use, by meaning

  • from late 19th c. To focus one's study upon a particular skill, field, topic, or genre.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.