Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
Definition: Specimen |
SpecimenNoun1. An example regarded as typical of its class. 2. A bit of tissue or blood or urine that is taken for diagnostic purposes; "they collected a urine specimen for urinalysis". Source: WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved. |
Date "specimen" was first used in popular English literature: sometime before 1602. (references) |
Etymology: Specimen \Spec"i*men\, noun. [Latin expression, from specere to look, to behold. See Spy.]. (Websters 1913) |
| Domain | Definition |
Finance | Sample copy of a security certificate lacking some of the details. Source: European Union. (references) |
Meteorology & Standards | L. the specimen is the material taken from a product in order to make one or several test pieces. The specimen can be constituted by the product itself 2. Test sample: that portion of the material selected from the bulk for testing. Source: European Union. (references) |
Mining | A. A sample, as of a fossil, rock, or ore. Among miners, it is often restricted to selected or handsome samples, such as fine pieces of ore, crystals, or fragments of quartz showing visible gold. CF:hand specimen b. A small mass of coal, rock, or, mineral, or soil, which gives, roughly, an idea of the kind and quality of the deposit from which it was derived. In the case of ore in particular, the specimen should admit of the identification of the various minerals present. A specimen cannot beviewed as a sample. (references) |
Public Administration | Specimen denotes a component, equipment or other item designated to be tested in accordance with the procedures of this standard. Source: European Union. (references) |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
Synonyms: SpecimenSynonyms: model, pattern. (additional references) |
| Context | Synonyms within Context (source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus). |
Conformity | Example, instance, specimen, sample, quotation; exemplification, illustration, case in point; object lesson; elucidation. |
| Source: adapted from Roget's Thesaurus. | |
Crosswords: Specimen |
| English words defined with "specimen": ahuehuete, autoradiograph, autoradiography ♦ Bartle Frere, Brazilian pepper tree ♦ cytologic specimen ♦ Determinative tables ♦ Endeictic ♦ fluorescence microscopy ♦ genus Bartle-Frere, green dinosaur ♦ holotype ♦ living ♦ microscope stage ♦ Platymiscium trinitatis ♦ roble ♦ Schinus terebinthifolius, stage, surviving, swab ♦ treated, type specimen ♦ untreated. (references) |
| Specialty definitions using "specimen": BIOLOGY SPECIMEN TECHNICIAN ♦ heat-dissipating specimen ♦ keyhole specimen ♦ oriented specimen. (references) |
| Non-English Usage: "Specimen" is also a word in the following languages with English translations in parentheses. Dutch (sample, specimen), Latin (appearance, ideal, model, specimen), Romanian (example, sample, specimen). |
| Domain | Usage | |
Screenplays | What we have here, little yellow sister, is a magnificent specimen of pure Alabama Blacksnake. (Full Metal Jacket; writing credit: Gustav Hasford; Michael Herr) Such a perfect specimen of manhood. (The Rocky Horror Picture Show; writing credit: Richard O'Brien; Jim Sharman) | |
Movie/TV Titles | The Perfect Specimen (1937) Healthy Human Specimen (1995) | |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | ||
| Domain | Title | ||
Books |
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Theater & Movies | |||
Music |
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Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |||
| Thumbnail | Description & Credit | Thumbnail | Description & Credit |
 | If only one pair of siphonal tufts, or hairs is present, the specimen is classified as a member of one of three possible genre, Aedes, Uranotaenia or Psorophora. Credit: CDC. |  | Autopsy specimen of aorta has been opened lengthwise to reveal luminal surface studded with lesions of atherosclerosis. Credit: CDC. |
 | Immersing specimen material in liquid nitrogen to preserve for future studies. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |  | Sorting salmon for genetic research. An eye, heart, liver, and piece of flesh was taken and preserved from each specimen. Credit: Paths Less Taken - NOAA at the Ends of the Earth. |
 | Sub manipulator prepares to collect coral specimen on the deep slope off Hawaii. Credit: National Undersea Research Program (NURP). |  | Unusual specimen of cushion starfish, Culcita novaeguineae, more flattened than usual. Credit: The Coral Kingdom. |
 | Specimens 11-16 are Globigerina rubra, d'Orbigny. Specimen 17 is Globigerina dubia, Egger. In: "The Voyage of H. M. S. CHALLENGER Zoology", Vol. IX, Plate LXXIX. Library Call Number Q115.C4 1880 (Zoology) v. 9, Plates. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |  | Figure 25. Net WP2 as recommended by working group Number 2 of the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research in 1966. Plan of the net on left. Specimen collector on the right. This net was meant to collect zooplankton from the upper 200 meters of the water column. It was first tested by Paul Smith of the U. S. Bureau of Commercial Fisheries in the NE Pacific in 1966. Credit: Sailing for Science - the NOAA Fleet Then and Now. |
 | Curator of the U.S. National Parasite Collection, Ralph Lichtenfels retrieves a specimen, one of several hundred that are lent to researchers worldwide each year. P. Credit: USDA ARS News; photo by Scott Bauer.. |  | Botanist Clair Button collecting specimen. Credit: John Craig. |
Source: pictures compiled by the editor from various references; see picture credits. | |||
| Title | Author | Quote |
Sylvie and Bruno Concluded | Carroll, Lewis | The Gardener will now bring in the next Specimen. |
Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
| Subject | Topic | Quote |
Health | Collect a stool specimen. (references) | |
Fix the specimen in 10% formalin. (references) | ||
Systematic pathologic evaluation of the cone specimen is necessary. (references) | ||
Lexicography | Devil's Dictionary | FREEDOM, n. Exemption from the stress of authority in a beggarly half dozen of restraint's infinite multitude of methods. A political condition that every nation supposes itself to enjoy in virtual monopoly. Liberty. The distinction between freedom and liberty is not accurately known; naturalists have never been able to find a living specimen of either. Freedom, as every schoolboy knows, Once shrieked as Kosciusko fell; On every wind, indeed, that blows I hear her yell. She screams whenever monarchs meet, And parliaments as well, To bind the chains about her feet And toll her knell. And when the sovereign people cast The votes they cannot spell, Upon the pestilential blast Her clamors swell. For all to whom the power's given To sway or to compel, Among themselves apportion Heaven And give her Hell. Blary O'Gary |
Source: compiled by the editor from ICON Group International, Inc.; see credits. | ||
| "Specimen" is generally used as a noun (singular) -- approximately 99.91% of the time. "Specimen" is used about 1,057 times out of a sample of 100 million words spoken or written in English. Its rank is based on over 700,000 words used in the English language. Some parts-of-speech are not covered due to the samples used by the British National Corpus. (note: percents less than one-hundredth of one percent have been omitted) |
| Parts of Speech | Percent | Usage per 100 Million Words | Rank in English |
| Noun (singular) | 99.91% | 1,056 | 7,085 |
| Noun (proper) | 0.09% | 1 | 339,140 |
| Total | 100.00% | 1,057 | N/A |
Source: compiled by the editor from several corpora; see credits.
Expressions using "specimen": Biological Specimen Banks ♦ biopsy specimen ♦ blood specimen ♦ Blood Specimen Collection ♦ cytologic specimen ♦ fine specimen ♦ keyhole specimen ♦ magnificent specimen ♦ prime specimen ♦ specimen bottle ♦ specimen copy ♦ Specimen Handling ♦ specimen of smb.'s handwriting ♦ specimen page ♦ specimen signature ♦ true to specimen ♦ type specimen. Additional references. | |
| Hyphenated Usage | |
Beginning with "specimen": specimen-hunter. | |
Ending with "specimen": f-specimen, super-specimen, type-specimen. | |
Containing "specimen": non-specimen-bearing. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. | |
| The following statistics estimate the number of searches per day across the major English-language search engines as identified by various trade publications. Hyperlinks lead to commercial use of the expression at Amazon.com. |
| Language | Translations for "specimen"; alternative meanings/domain in parentheses. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Afrikaans | monster (monster, sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Albanian | mostër (model, pattern, prill, sample, sampling, snip), gjedhe. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Arabic | مثال (copy, epitome, example, exemplar, ideal, image, model, paradigm, pattern, picture, quintessence, symbol, type), نموذج (byword, copy, example, exemplar, instance, layout, mock up, model, norm, paradigm, pattern, piece, run, sample, standard, token, type), عينة (pattern, piece, sample, snip, specious, swab, taking), شخص (baby, bloke, body, boy, cuss, customer, diagnose, effigy, embody, guy, individual, joker, man, person, personate, scout, sort, spirit, stick). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Bulgarian | специмен, тип (card, dude, exemplar, exponent, fellow, joker, josser, party, person, phylum, stripe, style, type), образец (copy, epitome, example, exemplar, form, ideal, mirror, model, mould, norm, paradigm, paragon, pattern, piece, sample, sampling, scantling, shape, swatch, type), мостра (exhibit, pattern, sample, scantling, show card, standard, swatch), експонат (exhibit, exponent), екземпляр (character, copy, exemplar). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese | 標本 (sample, the root cause and symptoms of a disease), 樣本 (sample), 樣" (sample), 本. (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Czech | vzorek (pattern, sample), ukázka (exhibit, exhibition, illustration, pattern, stroke), typ (case, make, representative, sort, type), příklad (example, illustration, instance, instancy, piece, sample), exemplář (copy). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Danish | mønster (sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Dutch | specimen (sample), proefstuk (sample, test, trial), proef (attempt, experiment, sample, test), monster (monster, sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Esperanto | specimeno (sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Farsi | فرد (Azygos, Individual, Odd, Single, Singular, Subject, Unique, Unit), مسطوره (Sample, Scantling), نمونه (Example, Instance, Model, Module, Parable, Paradigm, Piece, Progenitor, Sample), شخص (Cove, Dude, Figure, Guy, Individual, Man, One, Person, Subject). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Finnish | näytekappale (sample), näyte (proof, sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
French | spécimen, échantillon (test specimen). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Frisian | staal (sample), meunster (monster, sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
German | Probe (assay, attempt, audition, pattern, practice, prob, probation, probational, proof, rehearsal, rehearse, sample, test, trial, tryoutUS), Probestück (sample), Muster (design, figure, model, motif, paragon, pattern, patterns, prototype, sample, type), Exemplar (copy). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Greek | δείγμα (handout, sample, token). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hebrew | מ"'ם (sample), ת"'ים (demonstration, sample), "ו'מ" (example, exemplar, illustration, instance, lead, model, norm, prototype, sample, type), "'ם (mock up, model, pattern, sample, type), בר ש (creature, fellow, guy, human being, son of a gun). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hungarian | mintadarab (mock up, mock-up, sample, swatch), példány (issue, representative), mutatvány (exhibition, feat), csodabogár (freak, libertine, oddball, queer card, queer cove, queer fish). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indonesian | percobaan (afflication, attempt, audittion, experiment, ordeal, trial, tryout), model, contoh (exemplification, exponent, model, pattern, sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Italian | campione (adept, champ, champion, defender, foreman, masters, pattern, piece, sample, virtuoso), esemplare (copy, exemplar, exemplary, model, one off, paragon, paragons, pattern, sample, standard, subject, type), saggio (assay, bright, clever, cleverly, graybeard, greybeard, paper, politic, sagacious, sage, sample, sapient, taste, test, well advised, wise, wise man), provino (proof, screen test). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Kanji | 試供" (sample), 雛型 (a miniature, model, prescribed form, sample), 検" (sample), 標本 (example). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Japanese Katakana | しきょうひ" (sample), ひながた (a miniature, model, prescribed form, sample), ひょうほ" (example), け"たい (boredom, combination, combined use, fatigue, filling two positions, give one's body to a hospital for medical research, languor, sample, serving two purposes, sword belt, weariness). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Korean | 견본 (sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Manx | sampleyr (case, example, instance, model, paradigm, paragon, sample, sampler), sambyl (copy, example, pattern, sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Norwegian | mønster (pattern, sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Papiamen | muestra (sample). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Pig Latin | ecimenspay espécime (example, pattern, representative, sample, scantling), amostra (example, pattern, sample, trial). (various references) specimen (example, sample), tip (bird, bloke, card, cast, category, chap, character, cove, cuss, customer, design, devil, fellow, guy, Johnny, joker, kidney, letter, make, merchant, model, norm, sort, soul, standard, symbol, type), probã (alloy, argument, assay, attempt, audition, check up, control, event, examination, exemplar, go, instance, pattern, probation, proof, sample, test, trial, try, verification, witness), piesã (chessman, coin, copy, counter, man, piece), mostrã (example, model, muster, pattern, sample), individ (bird, bloke, body, character, cove, cuss, customer, devil, dog, egg, fellow, guy, individual, individuality, man, merchant, odd fish, party, perisher, person, queer fish, self, strange fish, subject, Wight), exemplar (copy, exemplar, exemplarily, exemplary, number, paradigmatic, pattern, sample), eşantion (sample). (various references) образец (archetype, copy, example, exemplar, exponent, form, model, norm, paradigm, paragon, pattern, piece, prill, quick example, representative, sample, scantling, shape, standard), проба (analysis, assay, audition, essay, plate-mark, prill, probe, proof, purity, reaction, sample, sampling, standard, tasting, test, try out, tryout, try-out). (various references) uzorak (model, pattern, sample, scantling, swatch), primerak (copy). (various references) muestra (demonstration, gesture, indication, model, paragons, pattern, piece, point, sample, sampling, sign, taste, token), espécimen (sample). (various references) prov (audition, display, experiment, prill, probation, proof, sample, sign, test, token, trial, try out), exemplar (copy, example). (various references) simge (attribute, emblem, embodiment, ensign, epitome, exemplar, image, representation, sign, symbol, token, type), tip (bakhshish, baksheesh, bugger, cast, codger, cuss, customer, cut, guy, ilk, job, Johnny, norm, number, perk, perquisite, person, pourboire, sort, style, tip, type, vintage), numune (model, pattern, sample), model (archetype, copybook, design, exemplar, fashion plate, form, guide, lay figure, manikin, mannequin, model, norm, pattern, poser, sample, shape, sitter, standard, stencil, type, type specimen, version, vintage), ilginç tip (crackpot, gink, kook, original, quiz), göstermelik (claptrap, false, for effect, for show, nominal, ostensible, pious, rose water, sample), acayip kimse (crank, oddball), örnek (copy, example, exemplar, exemplary, exemplification, guide, illustration, instance, lead, model, norm, object lesson, pattern, precedent, reference, representative, sample, sampling, trial, type, type specimen, version). (various references) nusga (copy, sample). (various references) зразок (archetype, assay, cast, example, exemplar, exponent, model, nonesuch, norm, number, paragon, pattern, sample, sampler, swatch). (various references) mẫu (crumb, design, model, sample, scantling). (various references) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Language | Period | Translations |
| Latin | 500 BCE-Modern | exemplo, exemplum, exemplumque, specimen. (various references) |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references. | ||
Derivations | |
Words beginning with "specimen": specimens. (additional references) | |
| |
"Specimen" is suggested in spellcheckers for the following: spciemen, specimin, specimon, Speshnev. (additional references) | |
| Source: compiled by the editor, based on several corpora (additional references). | |
| # of Phoneme Matches | Pronunciation | Word(s) rhyming with "specimen" (pronounced spe"sumun) |
| 4 | -u m u n | antihistamine, Benjamin, cameraman, cinnamon, ottoman, regimen, Telamon, thiamin, vitamin. |
| 3 | -m u n | abdomen, acumen, adman, admen, airman, albumin, alderman, Ashman, assemblywoman, backgammon, backwoodsman, Badman, bagman, barman, baseman, bayman, bellman, bitumen, Boardman, boatman, bookman, Bowman, bowmen, brakeman, bushman, businesswoman, Carman, Carmen, carmine, cattlemen, Cayman, chairman, chairwoman, Chapman, chessman, chrismon, churchman, churchmen, clergyman, coachman, cochairman, committeeman, common, congressman, congresswoman, corpsman, councilman, councilwoman, councilwomen, countryman, cowman, craftsman, craftsmen, crewman, daemon, dairymen, Daman, demon, desman, determine, Dolman, draftsman, draftsmen, dromon, dustman, Dutchman, Ermine, Everyman, examine, famine, ferryman, fireman, firemen, Firman, footman, foramen, foreman, foremen, forewoman, Freedman, Freeman, freshman, gammon, gentleman, gentlewoman, gentlewomen, german, Goodman, gunman, hangman, headman, headsman, henchman, henchmen, Herdman, Hetman, horseman, horsemen, houseman, human, huntsman, hymen, illumine, infantryman, inhuman, jasmine, Kirkman, Landman, landsman, lawman, layman, laymen, Leman, lemon, Letterman, Liman, Lineman, linemen, lobsterman, longshoremen, lumen, madmen, marksman, messman, midshipman, newswoman, newswomen, nobleman, noblewoman, nonhuman, nurserymen, oarsman, ombudsman, omen, Outman, overman, Packman, Penman, pitchman, Pitman, Plowman, policeman, policewoman, postman, predetermine, pressman, Pullman, ragmen, reexamine, rifleman, Rodman, roman, rumen, salarymen, salesman, saleswoman, saleswomen, salmon, seaman, seamen, seedsman, semen, sermon, shaman, Shipman, showman, Spearman, spokesman, spokeswoman, sportsman, statesman, Stillman, Stockman, subhuman, summon, superhuman, superwoman, talisman, timberman, Titman, Toman, townsman, tradesmen, trainmen, uncommon, watchman, Waterman, watermen, wingman, wireman, woman, women, Woodman, woodsmen, Woolman, workman, yachtsman, yeoman. |
Source: compiled by the editor (additional references); see credits. | ||
Scrabble® Enable2K-Verified Anagrams | |
| Words within the letters "c-e-e-i-m-n-p-s" | |
-2 letters: icemen, minces, mispen, nieces, pieces, specie, spence. | |
-3 letters: cense, cepes, cines, epics, mense, mesic, mesne, miens, mince, mines, neems, neeps, niece, peens, peins, peise, pence, penes, penis, piece, pines, scene, seine, semen, sepic, since, snipe, spice, spine. | |
-4 letters: cees, cepe, ceps, cine, emes, emic, epic, ices, imps, mice, mien, mine, mise, neem, neep. | |
| Words containing the letters "c-e-e-i-m-n-p-s" | |
+1 letter: epicenism, specimens. | |
+2 letters: epicenisms, impedances, impotences, impudences. | |
+3 letters: campinesses, chimpanzees, clomiphenes, emancipates, hypermnesic, impatiences, impotencies, imprudences, mesonephric, prominences. | |
+4 letters: compensative, competencies, displacement, epicureanism, impeachments, impenitences, incompetents, mantelpieces, misplacement, omnipotences, omnipresence, peacemakings, permanencies, predicaments, preeminences, recompensing. | |
+5 letters: chimneypieces, complacencies, comprehension, comprehensive, contemporizes, decipherments, decompressing, decompression, displacements, encipherments, encyclopedism, epicureanisms, imperfections, imperfectness, impermanences, impertinences, impreciseness, improvidences, incompetences, intemperances, intercompares, mesencephalic, misperceiving, misperception, misplacements, nephrectomies, omnipresences, perfectionism, predominances, pumpernickels, semiporcelain, spermatogenic, splenectomies, splenectomize, supereminence. | |
| Source: compiled by the editor from various references; see credits. SCRABBLE® is a registered trademark. All intellectual property rights in and to the game are owned in the U.S.A and Canada by Hasbro Inc., and throughout the rest of the world by J.W. Spear & Sons Limited of Maidenhead, Berkshire, England, a subsidiary of Mattel Inc. Mattel and Spear are not affiliated with Hasbro. | |
| 1. Definition 2. Synonyms 3. Crosswords 4. Usage: Modern | 5. Usage: Commercial 6. Images: Slideshow 7. Images: Photo Album 8. Quotations: Fiction | 9. Quotations: Non-fiction 10. Usage Frequency 11. Expressions 12. Expressions: Internet | 13. Translations: Modern 14. Translations: Ancient 15. Derivations 16. Rhymes | 17. Anagrams 18. Bibliography |
Copyright © Philip M. Parker, INSEAD. Terms of Use.
