Meanings
verbdespecificate (third-person singular simple present despecificates, present participle despecificating, simple past and past participle despecificated)
present singular third person despecificates · participle present despecificating · participle past despecificated · past despecificated
- rareTo discriminate; to separate according to specific signification or qualities; to specificate; to desynonymize.
Inaptitude and ineptitude have been usefully despecificated, and only the latter now imparts folly.
1873, Fitzedward Hall, Modern English
Origin
From de- + specificate, with de- acting as an intensifier.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
despecificate. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despecificate
MLA
“despecificate.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despecificate. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “despecificate,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/despecificate.
Source: despecificate on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.