Meanings
present singular third person specifies · participle present specifying · participle past specified · past specified
- transitiveTo state explicitly, or in detail, or as a condition.
Thanne after came A riall ordenaunce, / Too myghty princes with a grete pusaunce, / ffro Masedeyn and owt of Arkadye, / Ther cowde no man the nowmber specifie.
Then, after a royal ordinance, two mighty princes came and brought a great host of men from Macedonia and Arcadia, so many that no one could specify the number.
c. 1440, William Aldis Wright, editor, Generydes (in Middle English), London: N. Trübner & Co., published 1878, lines 1950–3, page 632 more examples
I was nevere somouned, ne never hadde tydynges of this matier but by seyd lettres and other fleying tales that I heve herd sithen, ne nevere hadde to do more with the seyd John Wortes than is specified in the seyd instruccion.
1425 November 5, William Paston, edited by James Gairdner, Paston Letters, new edition, volume I, London: Edward Arber, published 1872, page 20But there is no need of specifying particulars in this class of uses. The catalogue is endless, and the examples so obvious, that I shall leave them to the reader’s reflection, with the general remark, that this mercenary benefit is one which has respect to a farther good. A man is fed, not that he may be fed, but that he may work.
1836, Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Commodity”, in Nature, Boston: James Monroe and Company, page 18Synonyms: name
- transitiveTo include in a specification.
It seems to me that whoever at the Department of Transport or the train operating companies, or both, is specifying the standard of seats these days has taken leave of their senses and opted for cheapness over comfort.
2023 July 26, Pip Dunn, “Merseyrail '777s' are OK for passengers”, in RAIL, number 988, page 60 - transitiveTo bring about a specific result.
- intransitiveobsoleteTo speak explicitly or in detail (often used with of).
Forthermar o þis lecheri / Agh i þe noght to specifie[…]
I will not speak explicitly about this lechery any further.
c. 1300, Richard Morris, editor, Cursor Mundi [Runner of the World], volume I (in Middle English), London: Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., published 1893, lines 27958–9, page 1548
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo state explicitly, or in detail, or as a condition.
More synonyms by meaning
verbspecify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement
verbdetermine the essential quality of
verbbe specific about
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Medieval Latinspecificō
- Old Frenchspecifier
- Middle Englishspecifien
- Englishspecify
From Middle English specifien, from Old French specifier, especefier, or directly from Medieval Latin specificō, from specificus (“specific”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Medieval Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian специфицирам, установявам
- специфицирам (specificiram)include in a specification
- установявам (ustanovjavam)bring about a specific result
- определям (opredeljam)state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- уточнявам (utočnjavam)state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Catalan especificar
- especificarstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Czech určit, upřesnit
- určitinclude in a specification
- upřesnitbring about a specific result
- zpřesnitbring about a specific result
- určitstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- specifikovatstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Dutch specificeren
- specificerenstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Esperanto precizigi
- precizigistate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Estonian täpsustama
- täpsustamastate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Finnish määrittää, määritellä
- määrittäästate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- määritellästate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- eritellästate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- tarkentaastate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- spesifioidastate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
French spécifier
- spécifierstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
German spezifizieren
- spezifizierenstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Greek προσδιορίζω, συγκεκριμενοποιώ
- προσδιορίζω (prosdiorízo)state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- συγκεκριμενοποιώ (sygkekrimenopoió)state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Irish sonraigh, sonraigh
- sonraighinclude in a specification
- sonraighstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Italian venire ai fatti, specificare
- venire ai fattibring about a specific result
- specificarestate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Māori tautuhi, tauwhāiti
- tautuhistate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- tauwhāitistate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Portuguese especificar
- especificarstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Spanish especificar, circunstanciar
- especificarstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- circunstanciarstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- pormenorizarstate explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Thai ระบุ
- ระบุ (rá-bù)state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Ukrainian специфікува́ти, то́чно опи́сувати
- специфікува́ти (specyfikuváty)state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
- то́чно опи́сувати (tóčno opýsuvaty)state explicitly, in detail, or as a condition
Cite this entry
specify. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/specify
“specify.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/specify. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “specify,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/specify.
Source: specify on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.