specificadj.n.

Brit.

/spᵻˈsɪfɪk/,

/spɛˈsɪfɪk/, U.S.

/spəˈsɪfɪk/

Forms: Also 1600s specifique, 1600s–1700s specifick.

Etymology: < medieval Latin specificus, < speciēs species n.: see -fic suffix. Hence also French spécifique, Italian specifico, Spanish especifico, Portuguese especifico.

A. adj.

a. Having a special determining quality.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective]

specifical1610

specifica1631

a1631 J. Donne Poems (1912) 194 For, God no such specifique poyson hath As kills we know not how.

1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis 72 Which sentence is..true..of all parts that naturally exist in any specifique body.

1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 59 Bones are valuable as a specific manure, because they contain phosphate of lime.

†b. Having the qualities of a species. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [adjective] > species or sub-species

univocal1638

specific1650

subspecific1795

conspecific1859

racial1884

co-specific1889

relic1889

relict1899

intraspecific1919

monospecific1921

intraspecies1927

supraspecific1936

infra-specific1939

supraspecies1960

species-uniform1968

1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis 129 Man is not at once an Individuum and a specifique Individuum.

a. Of qualities, properties, effects, etc.: Specially or peculiarly pertaining to a certain thing or class of things and constituting one of the characteristic features of this.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > [adjective] > belonging to a particular thing or person

specialc1230

proper1340

peculiara1475

specifical?a1475

singular?a1513

private1526

privy1560

personed1565

individual1570

particular1582

idiotical1655

specific1665

sacred1667

specific1667

specifiala1670

idiomatic1771

idiomatical1774

appropriate1796

exclusive1804

propriate1820

especial1854

dedicated1969

1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 48 Plants and other Medicinal things, that have specifique Vertues.

1668 J. Denham Poems 148 That thou to Truth the perfect way may'st know, To thee all her specifick forms I'le show.

1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 409. ¶5 The distinguishing Perfections, or, if I may be allowed to call them so, the Specifick Qualities of the Author whom he peruses.

1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) §87 The specific taint or peculiar cause of the malady.

1782 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 72 196 The different portions of elementary fire contained in such substance, and absorbed by it,..and hence called its specific fire.

1804 J. Abernethy Surg. Observ. 150 (note) The specific operation of mercury on the constitution.

1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 139 The primitive and specific molecule proper to each organ pre-exists already in the infant embryo.

1863 E. V. Neale Analogy Thought & Nature 36 Between these unities of quantity there exist relations independent of their specific magnitudes.

1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 503 Plants, in which the demarcation of the annual rings is constantly absent as a specific peculiarity.

b. specific difference: see difference n.¹ 5d.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > [adjective] > characteristic or distinguishing

distinctive1583

physiognomical1588

specifical1621

specific1649

diagnostic1650

distinguishable1665

specific1667

physiognomonical1668

well-characterized1672

specifying1675

distinguishing1687

determinative1697

physiognomonic1755

marking1795

featurelya1834

typical1850

characterizing1870

trademark1943

1649 J. Bulwer Pathomyotomia i. vi. 32 Al actions equally proceed from the Soul, but receive their Specifique difference from the instruments.

1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica ii. ii. 6 A perfect Definition consists of the next Genus and Specifick Difference.

1777 J. Priestley Disquis. Matter & Spirit xviii. 234 It was necessary to find some specific difference between them.

1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes iii. 133 Where there is no specific difference, as between round and square, all definition must be more or less arbitrary.

1861 J. S. Mill Utilitarianism (1874) v. 74 This feature in the case..constitutes the specific difference between justice, and generosity.

c. Peculiar to, characteristic of, something.

ΘΚΠ

the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > [adjective] > characteristic or distinguishing

distinctive1583

physiognomical1588

specifical1621

specific1649

diagnostic1650

distinguishable1665

specific1667

physiognomonical1668

well-characterized1672

specifying1675

distinguishing1687

determinative1697

physiognomonic1755

marking1795

featurelya1834

typical1850

characterizing1870

trademark1943

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > [adjective] > belonging to a particular thing or person

specialc1230

proper1340

peculiara1475

specifical?a1475

singular?a1513

private1526

privy1560

personed1565

individual1570

particular1582

idiotical1655

specific1665

sacred1667

specific1667

specifiala1670

idiomatic1771

idiomatical1774

appropriate1796

exclusive1804

propriate1820

especial1854

dedicated1969

1667 E. Waterhouse Short Narr. Fire London 9 The mediation of concurring circumstances specifique to that Issue.

1874 J. A. Symonds Sketches Italy & Greece 251 Their style..is specific to Italy in the middle of the fifteenth century.

1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 519 Ulcers in the stomach specific of these affections may arise.

d. Physics. Of or designating a dimensionless number equal to the ratio of the value of a property of a given substance to the value of the same property of some reference substance (as water) or of vacuum under the same conditions, so providing a relative value for comparison with different substances, as specific gravity (see gravity n. 4c); specific heat (see heat n. 2c); specific inductive capacity = dielectric constant n. at dielectric adj. 2b; specific viscosity, the difference between the viscosity of a solution of a given concentration and that of the pure solvent, divided by the viscosity of the pure solvent.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > [adjective] > number equal to ratio of value

specific1838

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > non-conduction, insulation > [noun] > displacement > constant

specific inductive capacity1838

dielectric constant1875

relative permittivity1893

permittivity of free space1938

the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > fluid dynamics > [noun] > kinematic viscosity > specific

Saybolt viscometer1886

Saybolt viscosity1912

specific viscosity1935

1838 M. Faraday in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 128 33 I feel satisfied that the experiments altogether fully prove the existence of a difference between dielectrics as to their power of favouring an inductive action through them; which difference may..be expressed by the term specific inductive capacity.

1918 Physical Rev. 12 50 One arm was then filled with water, and the other with a mixture of water and ethyl alcohol, the specific inductive capacity of which was known.

1935 Jrnl. Physical Chem. 39 157 Staudinger later adopted the term ‘specific viscosity’, for the quantity η_r -i.

1944 London, Edinb. & Dublin Philos. Mag. 7th Ser. 35 83 Guggenheim has suggested the term permittivity for the fundamental quantity and specific inductive capacity or dielectric constant for the derived quantity. In conformity with the other suggestions in this paper it would be more uniform to adopt permittivity and relative permittivity... Similarly in the magnetic case we have permeability and relative permeability.

1959 K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 5) iv. 2 The dielectric constant K of an insulating material is the ratio of the capacitance C_z of a capacitor using the material as the dielectric to the capacitance C_a using air as the dielectric... This property of the material is sometimes called inductivity or specific inductive capacity.

1966 M. L. Miller Struct. Polymers v. 206 At the hightest rate of shear used in these experiments, the reduced specific viscosity was independent of concentration.

a. Medicine. Of remedies, etc.: Specially or exclusively efficacious for, or acting upon, a particular ailment or part of the body.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > [adjective] > specific

magistral1583

specifical1604

magisterial1658

specific1677

1677 W. Harris tr. N. Lémery Course Chym. i. xvi. 195 It is esteemed to be specifick for Malignant Diseases.

a1699 W. Temple Ess. Health & Long Life in Wks. (1720) I. 285 Garlick..I believe is..a Specifick Remedy of the Gout.

1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I. (at cited word) Physitians mention in their Books three kinds of Specifick Medicines.

1778 R. James Diss. Fevers (ed. 8) 80 Little can be said in favour of specific medicines, but what is equally applicable to specific methods of cure.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 795 The internal administration of specific remedies.

b. Pathology. Of a distinct or characteristic kind.

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > characteristics > [adjective] > other characteristics

hoteOE

redeOE

foulOE

elvishc1386

dryc1400

whitec1450

Naples1507

shaking1528

cold1569

exquisite1583

unpure1583

waterish1583

wandering1585

legitimate1615

sulphureous1625

tetrous1637

cagastrical1662

medical1676

ambulatory1684

ebullient1684

frantic1709

animated1721

progressive1736

cagastric1753

vegetative1803

left-handed1804

specific1804

subacute1811

animate1816

gregarious1822

vernal1822

ambilateral1824

subchronic1831

regressive1845

nummular1866

postoperative1872

ambulant1873

non-surgical1888

progredient1891

spodogenous1897

spodogenic19..

non-invasive1932

early-onset1951

adult-onset1957

non-specific1964

1804 J. Abernethy Surg. Observ. 166 We must not impute the occurrence of these peculiar sores to mere irritability, but to some specific contagion.

1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xx. 234 The specific irritation of the skin termed scabies.

1876 J. Van Duyn & E. C. Seguin tr. E. L. Wagner Man. Gen. Pathol. 260 Specific-pus, is not distinguished histologically and chemically from common pus.

1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 150 Specific peribronchitis of the trachea and bronchi.

1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 685 Some of thses lesions are ‘specific’ in the sense of being characteristic of syphilis.

a. Precise or exact in respect of fulfilment, conditions, or terms; definite, explicit.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > freedom from error, correctness > exactness, accuracy, precision > [adjective] > of measures, quantities

evenOE

graith1352

neat1682

specific1740

specifical1768

1740 J. Penn , etc. (title) Upon a Bill to compell a Specifick Execution of Articles of Agreement, entred into between the Partys for setling the Boundarys of the Province of Pensilvania.

1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. III. 116 This may..be effected by a specific delivery or restoration of the subject-matter in dispute to the legal owner.

1856 P. E. Dove Logic Christian Faith v. ii. 317 We do not as yet know the specific commandments of the moral law.

1861 A. Trollope Orley Farm (1862) I. ii. 12 She had been specific in her requests, urging him..to settle Orley Farm upon her own boy.

1871 W. Markby Elem. Law §109 A command must by its very nature be specific.

b. Exactly named or indicated, or capable of being so; precise, particular.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > going into detail > specially mentioned or indicated > precisely

precisec1443

specific1766

specifical1768

actual1793

1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. 8 What it is that gave a man an exclusive right to retain..that specific land.

1779 E. Burke Corr. (1844) II. 264 A specific misconduct, brought home to a particular man, is always to be attended to.

c1788 E. Burke Articles of Charge against W. Hastings in Wks. (1813) XII. 370 Without a publick well-vouched account of the specifick expenditure thereof.

1828 J. Mackintosh Speech in Commons in Wks. (1846) III. 492 There are..two specific classes of grievances complained of by the Lower-Canadians.

1865 H. Phillips Amer. Paper Currency II. 68 No specific preparations had been made by the states to perform their part of the engagement.

1880 L. Stephen Alexander Pope iv. 103 The specific cause of the quarrel, if cause there was, has not been clearly revealed.

c. Of a duty or tax: assessed on an article or goods according to quantity or amount without reference to value.

ΘΚΠ

society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > duty on goods > [adjective] > according to quantity

specific1789

1789 Deb. Congr. U.S. 9 Apr. (1834) 107 I shall not pretend to say that there ought not to be specific duties laid upon every one of the articles enumerated.

1845 J. K. Polk Diary 1 Nov. (1929) 23 I had recommended..the abolition of the minimum principle and specific duties.

1901 J. S. Nicholson Pol. Econ. III. 348 If the tax is specific and not ad valorem.

1930 M. Clark Home Trade iii. xxii. 187 Specific duties are those which are based on the quantity of the imported produce, i.e. they are so much per lb. or so much per gallon, etc.

1959 Chambers's Encycl. V. 512/2 Specific duties are expressed as an amount of money on the unit amount of the product while ad valorem duties are expressed as a percentage addition to the selling price.

5. Of or pertaining to, connected with, etc., a distinct species of animals or plants. specific epithet (chiefly Botany and Microbiology), the second (adjectival) element in the Latin name of a species according to the binomial system, which follows the generic name and serves to distinguish a species from others in the same genus; specific name, (a) (now chiefly Zoology) = specific epithet at sense A. 5 above; (b) (now chiefly Botany and Microbiology), the Latin name of a species, which in the binomial system comprises a generic name and a specific epithet.

ΘΚΠ

the world > life > biology > taxonomy > [noun] > name of species

specific name1753

typonym1884

tautonym1896

combination1901

the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [adjective] > species or sub-species > relating to

specific1753

specifical1762

the world > life > biology > taxonomy > [noun] > name of species > second element of

specific name1905

specific epithet1906

1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) The more accurate of the modern naturalists have..set about the reformation of the specific names of things.

1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) But as this holds in all the genus, there can be no use made of it as a specific character.

1775 H. Rose Elem. Bot. 302 A Plant is said to be compleatly named when it has got both the generic and specific name.

1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) I. p. v Many of the Specific Characters..are entirely new.

1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 19 Specific names..often indicate the situation or the county where the plant is found naturally.

1866 C. Darwin Origin of Species (ed. 4) ii. 58 Such characters of course are not of specific value.

1870 J. D. Hooker Student's Flora Brit. Islands 147 Scarcely entitled to specific rank.

1871 Nature 20 July 221/1 The mistake Cotteau is accused of making of assigning to Desor instead of Agassiz the specific name of Pseudodiadema hemisphæricum is entirely unfounded.

1880 A. R. Wallace Island Life 359 Thus one great cause of specific modification would be wanting.

1905 Règles Internat. Nomancl. Zool. (Congrès Internat. de Zool.) 31 A specific name becomes a subspecific name when the species so named becomes a subspecies.

1906 Internat. Rules Bot. Nomencl. 1905 47 When a..species is moved into another genus..the first specific epithet..must be retained.

1926 Rep. Brit. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 1925 75 A species [of animal] is a community, or a number of related communities, whose distinctive morphological characters are..sufficiently definite to entitle it, or them, to a specific name.

1945 Rhodora XLVII. 274 Binomial nomenclature was not intended by Linnaeus to supersede the polynomial specific name.

1964 Internat. Code Zool. Nomencl. ii. 7 The name of a species consists of two words (binomen)..;..the first word is the generic name, the second word is the specific name.

1966 Internat. Code Bot. Nomencl. iii. 27 Tuber..was accompanied by binary specific names, e.g. Tuber cibarium, and is therefore admissible.

1966 Internat. Code Bot. Nomencl. iii. 30 The name of a species is a binary combination consisting of the name of the genus followed by a single specific epithet.

1970 Watsonia 8 156 The specific epithet racemosa is.. not applicable in the genus Amelanchier.

1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia II. 1019/2 Gaspard Bauhin, a Swiss botanist of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, designated plants by a generic and a specific name.

1982 K. Arms & P. S. Camp Biol. (ed. 2) xx. 310 Specific epithets..are adjectives, and the same one may be combined with different generic names and used for a number of unrelated organisms; for example, Erythronium americanum, the trout lily; Euarctos americanus, the American black bear.

B. n.

a. A specific remedy. (See A. 3a.)

ΘΚΠ

the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > [noun] > a medicine or medicament > specific medicine

secret1558

nostrum1602

magistrality1605

magistral1621

magisteriala1627

specifical1651

specificum1651

specific1661

magistery1669

1661 J. Evelyn Fumifugium i. 8 I doe assent that both Lime & Sulphur are in some affections specifics for the Lungs.

1671 W. Salmon Synopsis Medicinæ iii. xxii. 427 Elder-tree..is a specific for the cure of the Dropsie.

1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician vi. 170 Specificks for Fevers seem to have place chiefly in Agues.

1732 J. Arbuthnot Pract. Rules of Diet iv. 429 If there be a specifick in Aliment it is certainly Whey.

1779 S. Johnson Let. 16 Oct. (1992) III. 188 How did you light on your specifick for the toothach?

1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xxvii. 351 All specifics lead to a false system of therapeutics.

1873 H. Spencer Study Sociol. (1877) i. 20 Always you find among people in proportion as they are ignorant, a belief in specifics.

attributive.1859 G. Meredith Ordeal Richard Feverel II. iii. 23 Her parties were the dullest in London, and gradually fell into the hands of popular preachers, Specific Doctors, raw Missionaries [etc.].

b. transferred and figurative.

ΚΠ

1669 W. Charleton Mysterie of Vintners in Two Disc. 185 Having found out certain Specifics as it were, to palliate the several Vices of Wines of all sorts.

a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 224 For all Defences and Apologies Are but Specifics t' other Frauds and Lies.

1779 J. Moore View Society & Manners France (1789) I. xviii. 140 A more infallible specific against tedium and fatigue.

1841 A. Helps Aids Contentm. in Ess. (1842) 17 I have no intention of putting forward specifics for real afflictions, or pretending to teach refined methods for avoiding grief.

1860 J. S. Mill Consider. Represent. Govt. (1865) 59/2 Against this evil the system of personal representation..is almost a specific.

2. A specific difference, quality, statement, subject, disease, etc. Usually plural; also loosely, details, particulars.

ΘΚΠ

the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [noun] > a specific quality, subject, etc.

specific1697

1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica ii. ii. 7 The Difference is taken from his Form... But because incorporeal Substances have none, and the Specificks of Corporeal, even lye hid [etc.].

1766 R. Griffith & E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances III. 148 The Phœnomenon..is owing to two most uncommon Specifics, in the Constitution of your Mind, and of your Body.

1874 H. W. Beecher Lect. Preaching 3rd Ser. viii. 153 Generics never take hold of men. It is specifics that take hold of them.

1888 W. R. Gowers Man. Dis. Nerv. Syst. II. iv. 298 Acute specifics, pneumonia, and septicæmia.

1891 Daily News 19 Oct. 6/5 Even in London Board Schools only 20,000 scholars were presented in specifics.

1966 New Statesman 9 Sept. 350/2 The latter [sc. journalism]..considers the specifics of an event, using implicit general principles of behaviour out of necessity.

1972 G. Bromley In Absence of Body iii. 30 Let's get down to specifics. What can we actually do to help?

1975 N.Y. Times 11 Sept. 8/1 Placing this tragedy of a woman's sexual obsession with her stepson within the arresting specifics of this strange setting does at least remove it from the fury-bestrewn never-never-land of the antique Greek drama.

1977 F. Branston Up & Coming Man xii. 125 He told us he had been investing in property in London, but he was a bit vague about the specifics.

1980 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts Feb. 152/1 Planning should start..with specifics rather than concepts.

3. A specific word, name, etc., spec. in taxonomy or toponymy.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > language > naming > name or appellation > [noun] > other specific names or types of name

the Holy Namec1440

Singh1623

specification1633

indigitamenta1657

explicative1669

ethnic1791

household name1804

class term1811

book name1815

biverb1831

class word1837

family name1840

class name1843

ananym1867

papponymic1875

autonym1879

throne name1880

demonymic1893

ethnonym1894

a name to conjure with1901

praise name1904

self-reference1948

exonym1957

specific1962

endonym1970

demonym1990

1962 Burrill & Bonsack in F. W. Householder & S. Saporta Prob. Lexicogr. 195 The elements in geographic names that indicate the class of the entity, e.g., in Red Hill..or Lake Erie.., Hill and Lake, are the generic elements (or ‘generics’). The elements that identify the particular entity, in the above instances Red and Erie, are called the specific elements (or ‘specifics’).

1969 J. Fowles French Lieutenant's Woman viii. 50 Although many scientists of the day gratefully used her [sc. Mary Anning's] finds to establish their own reputation, not one native type bears the specific anningii.

1977 Word 28 133 Most of the specifics, or second elements, in such names are demonstrably of Gaelic and not of Pictish origin.

Compounds

Of or designating a physical quantity that is referred to a unit of mass, volume, or other measure in order to form a number independent of the properties of the particular system studied, and so measuring an inherent property or characteristic that can be scaled to describe a given system or used as an indicator of the effect of an action or process.In modern use, there is a tendency to restrict the application of specific to quantities that are referred to unit mass. Accordingly, alternative terms are being advocated to replace those that do not conform to this narrow definition, as conductivity for specific conductance and specific conductivity, relative density for specific gravity, specific heat capacity (which is referred to unit mass) for specific heat, dielectric constant or relative permittivity for specific inductive capacity, and resistivity for specific resistance and specific resistivity.

specific acoustic impedance n. (see impedance n. 2).

specific activity n. the activity of a given radioisotope per unit mass.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactive isotope > [noun] > activity in relation to mass

specific activity1938

1938 Nature 18 June 1098/1 The specific activity of phosphatide P extracted from human blood corpuscles 24 hours after administration of labelled sodium phosphate was found to be 40 times less than that of plasma inorganic P.

1961 G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. xi. 186 Much higher levels of specific activity may be counted with no resolving time losses.

specific charge n. the ratio of the charge of an ion or subatomic particle to its mass.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > [noun] > ratio of charge to mass

specific charge1926

the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > ion > [noun] > electrical property of particles > ratio of charge to mass

specific charge1926

1926 R. W. Lawson tr. G. von Hevesy & F. A. Paneth Man. Radioactivity i. 6 From the magnitude of the deflexion, combined with similar deflexion experiments in an electric field, we can determine the magnitude of the specific charge (e/m).

1971 D. F. Jackson Concepts of Atomic Physics ii. 18 The specific charge of the lightest known ion, that of hydrogen, is 9·579 × 10⁷ C. kg^—1.

specific conductance n. the conductivity of unit length of a material of unit cross-sectional area; the reciprocal of resistivity (see resistivity n.).

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > [noun] > conductive power

conductivity1837

conductibility1862

conductility1883

conductance1885

specific conductance1885

specific conductivity1898

1885 O. Heaviside in Electrician 4 Sept. 311/1 ‘Specific resistance’ may well be called ‘resistivity’, and specific conductance ‘conductivity’, referring to the unit volume. Resistivity is the reciprocal of conductivity, and resistance of conductance.

1886 O. Heaviside in Electrician 29 Jan. 228/1 ‘Resistivity’ for specific resistance, and ‘conductance’ for what is sometimes called the conductibility of a wire, i.e., not its conductivity (specific conductance), but the reciprocal of its resistance.

1924 J. R. Partington in H. S. Taylor Treat. Physical Chem. I. xi. 517 In such cells conductivity water with a specific conductance of 0·21 × 10^—6 ohm^—1 can be kept 12 hours without change.

1958 E. U. Condon & H. Odishaw Handbk. Physics iv. ix. 141/1 In terms of Ohm's law, the defining equation..for specific conductance reduces to κ = I/E..where I is the current and E the potential applied to a centimeter-cube sample of the conductor.

specific conductivity n. = specific conductance n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > [noun] > conductive power

conductivity1837

conductibility1862

conductility1883

conductance1885

specific conductance1885

specific conductivity1898

1898 C. L. Speyers Text-bk. Physical Chem. ix. 166 A 5% aqueous solution of KCl at 0° has a specific conductivity of 0·0₅6617 mhos.

1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. viii. 558 (caption) Composition of standard bicarbonate waters of varying specific conductivities.

specific consumption n. (also specific fuel consumption) the weight of fuel consumed by an engine per unit time per unit of power or thrust developed; the reciprocal of specific impulse.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > [noun] > kinetics > thrust or propulsive force > ratio to consumption of fuel

specific consumption1931

specific impulse1947

specific thrust1949

1931 Automotive Industries 9 May 726/2 Fig. 10 shows the variation in specific consumption, power and head temperature of the A70 cylinder, with change in fuel flow.

1946 J. W. Vale Aviation Mechanic's Engine Man. ix. 271 At any altitude the specific fuel consumption increases with the increase of power output.

1966 J. H. Horlock Axial Flow Turbines viii. 214 For the high by-pass ratios..the specific fuel consumption drops rapidly with increasing turbine temperature.

specific impulse n. (see impulse n. 2c).

specific ionization n. the number of ion pairs produced by an ionizing particle per unit path length.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > ion > [noun] > pair > number produced by ionizing particle

specific ionization1932

1932 Physical Rev. 39 884 The specific ionization thus determined does not exceed 32 ion-pairs per cm, in water~saturated air at 68 cm pressure.

1961 G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. iii. 23 This specific ionization is a measure of the rate of energy loss.

specific refraction n. = specific refractive constant n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > refraction > [noun] > index of refraction > constant

specific refractive constant1899

specific refraction1940

1940 S. Glasstone Text-bk. Physical Chem. viii. 524 The difference between the specific refractions for two wave lengths, e.g., the Hα and Hγ lines, is called the specific dispersivity.

specific refractive constant n. a constant relating the refractive index (n) of a material to its density (ρ), given by (n² − 1)/(ρ(n² + 2)).

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > refraction > [noun] > index of refraction > constant

specific refractive constant1899

specific refraction1940

1899 J. Walker Introd. Physical Chem. xiv. 138 Another specific refractive constant is given by [etc.].

specific resistance n. = resistivity n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > resistance > [noun] > specific resistance

resistivity1885

skin resistance1891

specific resistance1899

skin resistance1900

specific resistivity1958

1899 J. McCrae tr. A. Reychler Outl. Physical Chem. iii. ii. 197 In order to determine the specific resistance of a solution in ohms, we consider a cubical mass of the solution, the length of whose side is 1 centimetre.

1935 Wilson & Dowse tr. Holzer & Weissenberg Found. Short Wave Therapy 74 The specific resistance is not..a constant, independent of frequency.

1978 P. W. Atkins Physical Chem. xxv. 820 The resistance of a material increases with its length l but decreases with its cross-section A... The proportionality coefficient is called the resistivity, or specific resistance.

specific resistivity n. = resistivity n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > resistance > [noun] > specific resistance

resistivity1885

skin resistance1891

specific resistance1899

skin resistance1900

specific resistivity1958

1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 716/1 Resistivity, a term denoting volume resistivity, i.e. the resistance of a block of the material in question having unit length and unit cross-sectional area; also called specific resistivity.

1964 R. F. Ficchi Electr. Interference viii. 133 ρ is the specific resistivity of the conductor.

specific rotatory power n. the angle through which the plane of polarization of light of a specified wavelength is rotated by passage through a column of an optically active substance of given length (usually 10 cm.) and at unit concentration.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > polarization > [noun] > rotation

specific rotatory power1876

circumpolarization1885

Faraday effect1889

specific rotation1899

1876 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 1 667 It is proposed to substitute α_D for the specific rotatory power obtained by means of the sodium ray.

1899 J. Walker Introd. Physical Chem. xiv. 139 The specific rotatory power is usually denoted by the symbol [α].

specific rotation n. = specific rotatory power n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > polarization > [noun] > rotation

specific rotatory power1876

circumpolarization1885

Faraday effect1889

specific rotation1899

1899 J. Walker Introd. Physical Chem. xv. 150 The specific rotation of lævorotatory oil of turpentine is 37·01°.

1940 S. Glasstone Text-bk. Physical Chem. viii. 585 The optical rotatory power of a pure substance, particularly in the liquid state, is generally expressed in terms of its specific rotation or specific rotatory power.

1958 E. U. Condon & H. Odishaw Handbk. Physics vi. vi. 120/1 The molecular rotation is the product of the specific rotation by the molecular weight M of the active material.

specific surface n. the surface area per unit volume of a finely-divided substance.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > constitution of matter > granular texture > [noun] > surface area per unit volume

specific surface1924

1924 Chem. Abstr. 18 3507 The specific surfaces of several varieties of charcoal were measured.

1951 A. E. Alexander Surface Chem. i. 4 Colloidal materials such as charcoal and clays show adsorption phenomena very markedly owing to their large specific surfaces..which arises [sic] from their fine state of subdivision.

1977 Rowell & Farinato in L.-H. Lee Characterization of Metal & Polymer Surfaces II. 399 The specific surface of a monodisperse colloid becomes independent of the number concentration and refractive index of the spherical particles.

specific thrust n. = specific impulse n.

ΘΚΠ

the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > [noun] > kinetics > thrust or propulsive force > ratio to consumption of fuel

specific consumption1931

specific impulse1947

specific thrust1949

1949 D. G. Shepherd Introd. Gas Turbine iii. 78 The curves for specific thrust are in general of similar shape.., increasing with T_max and having in an optimum value at a certain pressure ratio.

1966 J. H. Horlock Axial Flow Turbines viii. 211 A high value of specific thrust means that small engine weight is required.

specific volume n. the volume of a substance per unit mass; the reciprocal of density.

ΚΠ

1868 H. B. Jones & H. Watts Fownes's Man. Elem. Chem. (ed. 10) 250 The numbers obtained..representing the specific volumes of the various solid and liquid elementary substances, present far more cases of discrepancy than of agreement.

1957 Amer. Inst. Physics Handbk. ii. 117 Many tables and other aids have been prepared for the routine calculation of density and specific volume of sea water.

Draft additions January 2018

specific performance n. Law the performance of contractual duties; an instance of this; (also) a remedy granted by a court compelling a person to perform contractual duties, usually where damages would be inadequate as compensation.

ΚΠ

1701 Case Honourable H. Cornwall (single sheet) The Appellant preferred his Bill against the Defendants, to discover their respective Titles, and to have a specific Performance of the Articles.

1830 Times 30 June 6/3 It was submitted the plaintiff was entitled to a decree for specific performance.

1931 North-China Herald 26 May 273/1 His Lordship..ordered the specific performance of a verbal agreement.

2010 L. Meyer Non-performance & Remedies under Internat. Contract Law Princ. & Indian Contract Law v. 125 In a suit for specific performance, the promisee may alternatively sue for termination of the contract.

Draft additions September 2018

specific energy n. [partly (in sense (a)) after German specifische Energie (1837 or earlier; now spezifische Energie ); partly (in sense (b)) after French énergie spécifique (1889 or earlier)] (a) Physiology the specific activity or function of a given nerve, cell, etc. (now historical); (b) Physics the quantity of energy, (formerly) per unit volume or (now) per unit mass, which is stored in a given material or object (cf. energy density n. at energy n. Compounds 4).

ΚΠ

1844 R. Willis tr. R. Wagner Elements Physiol. iii. §290. 530 When we speak of hearing in a physiological sense, we understand an excitement of the specific energy [Ger. spezifischen Energie] of the acoustic or seventh pair of cerebral nerves.

1890 Sci. Amer. Suppl. 31 May 12015/2 Whatever be the degree of attenuation [with sulphuric acid], the electric energy obtained per litre of liquid is sensibly the same... The attenuation may be obtained with other products..; but the specific energy [Fr. l'énergie spécifique] is thus reduced.

1893 Nature 14 Sept. 472/1 The process of lymphatic absorption..is in great measure due to the specific energy of cells.

1898 Electr. Rev. 3 June 786/2 Accumulators intended for electro-mobiles should above all possess..a high specific energy (watt-hours per kilogramme of total weight).

1963 Astrophysical Jrnl. 138 182 Assume that the specific energy is constant and that the cosmic pressure is zero during those stages of the expansion [of the universe].

2010 L. Garey tr. M. Meulders Helmholtz ix. 144 Helmholtz..was convinced that understanding sprang from experience, whereas for Müller specific energy was obviously innate.

2014 C. Hall Materials: Very Short Introd. iii. 64 The specific energy of cellulose (and hence of wood) is only 17 MJ/kg, because the cellulose polymers already have a lot of oxygen in them, so are partially pre-oxidized.

This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2022).

单词	specific
释义	specificadj.n. Brit. /spᵻˈsɪfɪk/, /spɛˈsɪfɪk/, U.S. /spəˈsɪfɪk/ Forms: Also 1600s specifique, 1600s–1700s specifick. Etymology: < medieval Latin specificus, < speciēs species n.: see -fic suffix. Hence also French spécifique, Italian specifico, Spanish especifico, Portuguese especifico. A. adj. 1. a. Having a special determining quality. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] specifical1610 specifica1631 a1631 J. Donne Poems (1912) 194 For, God no such specifique poyson hath As kills we know not how. 1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis 72 Which sentence is..true..of all parts that naturally exist in any specifique body. 1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 59 Bones are valuable as a specific manure, because they contain phosphate of lime. †b. Having the qualities of a species. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [adjective] > species or sub-species univocal1638 specific1650 subspecific1795 conspecific1859 racial1884 co-specific1889 relic1889 relict1899 intraspecific1919 monospecific1921 intraspecies1927 supraspecific1936 infra-specific1939 supraspecies1960 species-uniform1968 1650 J. Bulwer Anthropometamorphosis 129 Man is not at once an Individuum and a specifique Individuum. 2. a. Of qualities, properties, effects, etc.: Specially or peculiarly pertaining to a certain thing or class of things and constituting one of the characteristic features of this. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > [adjective] > belonging to a particular thing or person specialc1230 proper1340 peculiara1475 specifical?a1475 singular?a1513 private1526 privy1560 personed1565 individual1570 particular1582 idiotical1655 specific1665 sacred1667 specific1667 specifiala1670 idiomatic1771 idiomatical1774 appropriate1796 exclusive1804 propriate1820 especial1854 dedicated1969 1665 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 1 48 Plants and other Medicinal things, that have specifique Vertues. 1668 J. Denham Poems 148 That thou to Truth the perfect way may'st know, To thee all her specifick forms I'le show. 1712 J. Addison Spectator No. 409. ¶5 The distinguishing Perfections, or, if I may be allowed to call them so, the Specifick Qualities of the Author whom he peruses. 1744 G. Berkeley Siris (ESTC T72826) §87 The specific taint or peculiar cause of the malady. 1782 Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 72 196 The different portions of elementary fire contained in such substance, and absorbed by it,..and hence called its specific fire. 1804 J. Abernethy Surg. Observ. 150 (note) The specific operation of mercury on the constitution. 1837 P. Keith Bot. Lexicon 139 The primitive and specific molecule proper to each organ pre-exists already in the infant embryo. 1863 E. V. Neale Analogy Thought & Nature 36 Between these unities of quantity there exist relations independent of their specific magnitudes. 1884 F. O. Bower & D. H. Scott tr. H. A. de Bary Compar. Anat. Phanerogams & Ferns 503 Plants, in which the demarcation of the annual rings is constantly absent as a specific peculiarity. b. specific difference: see difference n.¹ 5d. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > [adjective] > characteristic or distinguishing distinctive1583 physiognomical1588 specifical1621 specific1649 diagnostic1650 distinguishable1665 specific1667 physiognomonical1668 well-characterized1672 specifying1675 distinguishing1687 determinative1697 physiognomonic1755 marking1795 featurelya1834 typical1850 characterizing1870 trademark1943 1649 J. Bulwer Pathomyotomia i. vi. 32 Al actions equally proceed from the Soul, but receive their Specifique difference from the instruments. 1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica ii. ii. 6 A perfect Definition consists of the next Genus and Specifick Difference. 1777 J. Priestley Disquis. Matter & Spirit xviii. 234 It was necessary to find some specific difference between them. 1841 T. Carlyle On Heroes iii. 133 Where there is no specific difference, as between round and square, all definition must be more or less arbitrary. 1861 J. S. Mill Utilitarianism (1874) v. 74 This feature in the case..constitutes the specific difference between justice, and generosity. c. Peculiar to, characteristic of, something. ΘΚΠ the world > existence and causation > existence > intrinsicality or inherence > [adjective] > characteristic or distinguishing distinctive1583 physiognomical1588 specifical1621 specific1649 diagnostic1650 distinguishable1665 specific1667 physiognomonical1668 well-characterized1672 specifying1675 distinguishing1687 determinative1697 physiognomonic1755 marking1795 featurelya1834 typical1850 characterizing1870 trademark1943 the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > quality of being special or restricted in application > [adjective] > belonging to a particular thing or person specialc1230 proper1340 peculiara1475 specifical?a1475 singular?a1513 private1526 privy1560 personed1565 individual1570 particular1582 idiotical1655 specific1665 sacred1667 specific1667 specifiala1670 idiomatic1771 idiomatical1774 appropriate1796 exclusive1804 propriate1820 especial1854 dedicated1969 1667 E. Waterhouse Short Narr. Fire London 9 The mediation of concurring circumstances specifique to that Issue. 1874 J. A. Symonds Sketches Italy & Greece 251 Their style..is specific to Italy in the middle of the fifteenth century. 1897 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. III. 519 Ulcers in the stomach specific of these affections may arise. d. Physics. Of or designating a dimensionless number equal to the ratio of the value of a property of a given substance to the value of the same property of some reference substance (as water) or of vacuum under the same conditions, so providing a relative value for comparison with different substances, as specific gravity (see gravity n. 4c); specific heat (see heat n. 2c); specific inductive capacity = dielectric constant n. at dielectric adj. 2b; specific viscosity, the difference between the viscosity of a solution of a given concentration and that of the pure solvent, divided by the viscosity of the pure solvent. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > [adjective] > number equal to ratio of value specific1838 the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > non-conduction, insulation > [noun] > displacement > constant specific inductive capacity1838 dielectric constant1875 relative permittivity1893 permittivity of free space1938 the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > fluid dynamics > [noun] > kinematic viscosity > specific Saybolt viscometer1886 Saybolt viscosity1912 specific viscosity1935 1838 M. Faraday in Philos. Trans. (Royal Soc.) 128 33 I feel satisfied that the experiments altogether fully prove the existence of a difference between dielectrics as to their power of favouring an inductive action through them; which difference may..be expressed by the term specific inductive capacity. 1918 Physical Rev. 12 50 One arm was then filled with water, and the other with a mixture of water and ethyl alcohol, the specific inductive capacity of which was known. 1935 Jrnl. Physical Chem. 39 157 Staudinger later adopted the term ‘specific viscosity’, for the quantity η_r -i. 1944 London, Edinb. & Dublin Philos. Mag. 7th Ser. 35 83 Guggenheim has suggested the term permittivity for the fundamental quantity and specific inductive capacity or dielectric constant for the derived quantity. In conformity with the other suggestions in this paper it would be more uniform to adopt permittivity and relative permittivity... Similarly in the magnetic case we have permeability and relative permeability. 1959 K. Henney Radio Engin. Handbk. (ed. 5) iv. 2 The dielectric constant K of an insulating material is the ratio of the capacitance C_z of a capacitor using the material as the dielectric to the capacitance C_a using air as the dielectric... This property of the material is sometimes called inductivity or specific inductive capacity. 1966 M. L. Miller Struct. Polymers v. 206 At the hightest rate of shear used in these experiments, the reduced specific viscosity was independent of concentration. 3. a. Medicine. Of remedies, etc.: Specially or exclusively efficacious for, or acting upon, a particular ailment or part of the body. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > [adjective] > specific magistral1583 specifical1604 magisterial1658 specific1677 1677 W. Harris tr. N. Lémery Course Chym. i. xvi. 195 It is esteemed to be specifick for Malignant Diseases. a1699 W. Temple Ess. Health & Long Life in Wks. (1720) I. 285 Garlick..I believe is..a Specifick Remedy of the Gout. 1704 J. Harris Lexicon Technicum I. (at cited word) Physitians mention in their Books three kinds of Specifick Medicines. 1778 R. James Diss. Fevers (ed. 8) 80 Little can be said in favour of specific medicines, but what is equally applicable to specific methods of cure. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VI. 795 The internal administration of specific remedies. b. Pathology. Of a distinct or characteristic kind. ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > ill health > a disease > characteristics > [adjective] > other characteristics hoteOE redeOE foulOE elvishc1386 dryc1400 whitec1450 Naples1507 shaking1528 cold1569 exquisite1583 unpure1583 waterish1583 wandering1585 legitimate1615 sulphureous1625 tetrous1637 cagastrical1662 medical1676 ambulatory1684 ebullient1684 frantic1709 animated1721 progressive1736 cagastric1753 vegetative1803 left-handed1804 specific1804 subacute1811 animate1816 gregarious1822 vernal1822 ambilateral1824 subchronic1831 regressive1845 nummular1866 postoperative1872 ambulant1873 non-surgical1888 progredient1891 spodogenous1897 spodogenic19.. non-invasive1932 early-onset1951 adult-onset1957 non-specific1964 1804 J. Abernethy Surg. Observ. 166 We must not impute the occurrence of these peculiar sores to mere irritability, but to some specific contagion. 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xx. 234 The specific irritation of the skin termed scabies. 1876 J. Van Duyn & E. C. Seguin tr. E. L. Wagner Man. Gen. Pathol. 260 Specific-pus, is not distinguished histologically and chemically from common pus. 1898 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. V. 150 Specific peribronchitis of the trachea and bronchi. 1899 T. C. Allbutt et al. Syst. Med. VII. 685 Some of thses lesions are ‘specific’ in the sense of being characteristic of syphilis. 4. a. Precise or exact in respect of fulfilment, conditions, or terms; definite, explicit. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > freedom from error, correctness > exactness, accuracy, precision > [adjective] > of measures, quantities evenOE graith1352 neat1682 specific1740 specifical1768 1740 J. Penn , etc. (title) Upon a Bill to compell a Specifick Execution of Articles of Agreement, entred into between the Partys for setling the Boundarys of the Province of Pensilvania. 1768 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. III. 116 This may..be effected by a specific delivery or restoration of the subject-matter in dispute to the legal owner. 1856 P. E. Dove Logic Christian Faith v. ii. 317 We do not as yet know the specific commandments of the moral law. 1861 A. Trollope Orley Farm (1862) I. ii. 12 She had been specific in her requests, urging him..to settle Orley Farm upon her own boy. 1871 W. Markby Elem. Law §109 A command must by its very nature be specific. b. Exactly named or indicated, or capable of being so; precise, particular. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [adjective] > going into detail > specially mentioned or indicated > precisely precisec1443 specific1766 specifical1768 actual1793 1766 W. Blackstone Comm. Laws Eng. II. 8 What it is that gave a man an exclusive right to retain..that specific land. 1779 E. Burke Corr. (1844) II. 264 A specific misconduct, brought home to a particular man, is always to be attended to. c1788 E. Burke Articles of Charge against W. Hastings in Wks. (1813) XII. 370 Without a publick well-vouched account of the specifick expenditure thereof. 1828 J. Mackintosh Speech in Commons in Wks. (1846) III. 492 There are..two specific classes of grievances complained of by the Lower-Canadians. 1865 H. Phillips Amer. Paper Currency II. 68 No specific preparations had been made by the states to perform their part of the engagement. 1880 L. Stephen Alexander Pope iv. 103 The specific cause of the quarrel, if cause there was, has not been clearly revealed. c. Of a duty or tax: assessed on an article or goods according to quantity or amount without reference to value. ΘΚΠ society > trade and finance > fees and taxes > impost, due, or tax > duty on goods > [adjective] > according to quantity specific1789 1789 Deb. Congr. U.S. 9 Apr. (1834) 107 I shall not pretend to say that there ought not to be specific duties laid upon every one of the articles enumerated. 1845 J. K. Polk Diary 1 Nov. (1929) 23 I had recommended..the abolition of the minimum principle and specific duties. 1901 J. S. Nicholson Pol. Econ. III. 348 If the tax is specific and not ad valorem. 1930 M. Clark Home Trade iii. xxii. 187 Specific duties are those which are based on the quantity of the imported produce, i.e. they are so much per lb. or so much per gallon, etc. 1959 Chambers's Encycl. V. 512/2 Specific duties are expressed as an amount of money on the unit amount of the product while ad valorem duties are expressed as a percentage addition to the selling price. 5. Of or pertaining to, connected with, etc., a distinct species of animals or plants. specific epithet (chiefly Botany and Microbiology), the second (adjectival) element in the Latin name of a species according to the binomial system, which follows the generic name and serves to distinguish a species from others in the same genus; specific name, (a) (now chiefly Zoology) = specific epithet at sense A. 5 above; (b) (now chiefly Botany and Microbiology), the Latin name of a species, which in the binomial system comprises a generic name and a specific epithet. ΘΚΠ the world > life > biology > taxonomy > [noun] > name of species specific name1753 typonym1884 tautonym1896 combination1901 the world > life > biology > taxonomy > taxon > [adjective] > species or sub-species > relating to specific1753 specifical1762 the world > life > biology > taxonomy > [noun] > name of species > second element of specific name1905 specific epithet1906 1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) The more accurate of the modern naturalists have..set about the reformation of the specific names of things. 1753 Chambers's Cycl. Suppl. (at cited word) But as this holds in all the genus, there can be no use made of it as a specific character. 1775 H. Rose Elem. Bot. 302 A Plant is said to be compleatly named when it has got both the generic and specific name. 1796 W. Withering Arrangem. Brit. Plants (ed. 3) I. p. v Many of the Specific Characters..are entirely new. 1842 J. C. Loudon Suburban Horticulturist 19 Specific names..often indicate the situation or the county where the plant is found naturally. 1866 C. Darwin Origin of Species (ed. 4) ii. 58 Such characters of course are not of specific value. 1870 J. D. Hooker Student's Flora Brit. Islands 147 Scarcely entitled to specific rank. 1871 Nature 20 July 221/1 The mistake Cotteau is accused of making of assigning to Desor instead of Agassiz the specific name of Pseudodiadema hemisphæricum is entirely unfounded. 1880 A. R. Wallace Island Life 359 Thus one great cause of specific modification would be wanting. 1905 Règles Internat. Nomancl. Zool. (Congrès Internat. de Zool.) 31 A specific name becomes a subspecific name when the species so named becomes a subspecies. 1906 Internat. Rules Bot. Nomencl. 1905 47 When a..species is moved into another genus..the first specific epithet..must be retained. 1926 Rep. Brit. Assoc. Advancem. Sci. 1925 75 A species [of animal] is a community, or a number of related communities, whose distinctive morphological characters are..sufficiently definite to entitle it, or them, to a specific name. 1945 Rhodora XLVII. 274 Binomial nomenclature was not intended by Linnaeus to supersede the polynomial specific name. 1964 Internat. Code Zool. Nomencl. ii. 7 The name of a species consists of two words (binomen)..;..the first word is the generic name, the second word is the specific name. 1966 Internat. Code Bot. Nomencl. iii. 27 Tuber..was accompanied by binary specific names, e.g. Tuber cibarium, and is therefore admissible. 1966 Internat. Code Bot. Nomencl. iii. 30 The name of a species is a binary combination consisting of the name of the genus followed by a single specific epithet. 1970 Watsonia 8 156 The specific epithet racemosa is.. not applicable in the genus Amelanchier. 1974 Encycl. Brit. Macropædia II. 1019/2 Gaspard Bauhin, a Swiss botanist of the late 16th and early 17th centuries, designated plants by a generic and a specific name. 1982 K. Arms & P. S. Camp Biol. (ed. 2) xx. 310 Specific epithets..are adjectives, and the same one may be combined with different generic names and used for a number of unrelated organisms; for example, Erythronium americanum, the trout lily; Euarctos americanus, the American black bear. B. n. 1. a. A specific remedy. (See A. 3a.) ΘΚΠ the world > health and disease > healing > medicines or physic > [noun] > a medicine or medicament > specific medicine secret1558 nostrum1602 magistrality1605 magistral1621 magisteriala1627 specifical1651 specificum1651 specific1661 magistery1669 1661 J. Evelyn Fumifugium i. 8 I doe assent that both Lime & Sulphur are in some affections specifics for the Lungs. 1671 W. Salmon Synopsis Medicinæ iii. xxii. 427 Elder-tree..is a specific for the cure of the Dropsie. 1684 tr. T. Bonet Guide Pract. Physician vi. 170 Specificks for Fevers seem to have place chiefly in Agues. 1732 J. Arbuthnot Pract. Rules of Diet iv. 429 If there be a specifick in Aliment it is certainly Whey. 1779 S. Johnson Let. 16 Oct. (1992) III. 188 How did you light on your specifick for the toothach? 1843 R. J. Graves Syst. Clin. Med. xxvii. 351 All specifics lead to a false system of therapeutics. 1873 H. Spencer Study Sociol. (1877) i. 20 Always you find among people in proportion as they are ignorant, a belief in specifics. attributive.1859 G. Meredith Ordeal Richard Feverel II. iii. 23 Her parties were the dullest in London, and gradually fell into the hands of popular preachers, Specific Doctors, raw Missionaries [etc.]. b. transferred and figurative. ΚΠ 1669 W. Charleton Mysterie of Vintners in Two Disc. 185 Having found out certain Specifics as it were, to palliate the several Vices of Wines of all sorts. a1680 S. Butler Genuine Remains (1759) I. 224 For all Defences and Apologies Are but Specifics t' other Frauds and Lies. 1779 J. Moore View Society & Manners France (1789) I. xviii. 140 A more infallible specific against tedium and fatigue. 1841 A. Helps Aids Contentm. in Ess. (1842) 17 I have no intention of putting forward specifics for real afflictions, or pretending to teach refined methods for avoiding grief. 1860 J. S. Mill Consider. Represent. Govt. (1865) 59/2 Against this evil the system of personal representation..is almost a specific. 2. A specific difference, quality, statement, subject, disease, etc. Usually plural; also loosely, details, particulars. ΘΚΠ the world > relative properties > kind or sort > individual character or quality > the quality of being specific > [noun] > a specific quality, subject, etc. specific1697 1697 tr. F. Burgersdijck Monitio Logica ii. ii. 7 The Difference is taken from his Form... But because incorporeal Substances have none, and the Specificks of Corporeal, even lye hid [etc.]. 1766 R. Griffith & E. Griffith Lett. Henry & Frances III. 148 The Phœnomenon..is owing to two most uncommon Specifics, in the Constitution of your Mind, and of your Body. 1874 H. W. Beecher Lect. Preaching 3rd Ser. viii. 153 Generics never take hold of men. It is specifics that take hold of them. 1888 W. R. Gowers Man. Dis. Nerv. Syst. II. iv. 298 Acute specifics, pneumonia, and septicæmia. 1891 Daily News 19 Oct. 6/5 Even in London Board Schools only 20,000 scholars were presented in specifics. 1966 New Statesman 9 Sept. 350/2 The latter [sc. journalism]..considers the specifics of an event, using implicit general principles of behaviour out of necessity. 1972 G. Bromley In Absence of Body iii. 30 Let's get down to specifics. What can we actually do to help? 1975 N.Y. Times 11 Sept. 8/1 Placing this tragedy of a woman's sexual obsession with her stepson within the arresting specifics of this strange setting does at least remove it from the fury-bestrewn never-never-land of the antique Greek drama. 1977 F. Branston Up & Coming Man xii. 125 He told us he had been investing in property in London, but he was a bit vague about the specifics. 1980 Jrnl. Royal Soc. Arts Feb. 152/1 Planning should start..with specifics rather than concepts. 3. A specific word, name, etc., spec. in taxonomy or toponymy. ΘΚΠ the mind > language > naming > name or appellation > [noun] > other specific names or types of name the Holy Namec1440 Singh1623 specification1633 indigitamenta1657 explicative1669 ethnic1791 household name1804 class term1811 book name1815 biverb1831 class word1837 family name1840 class name1843 ananym1867 papponymic1875 autonym1879 throne name1880 demonymic1893 ethnonym1894 a name to conjure with1901 praise name1904 self-reference1948 exonym1957 specific1962 endonym1970 demonym1990 1962 Burrill & Bonsack in F. W. Householder & S. Saporta Prob. Lexicogr. 195 The elements in geographic names that indicate the class of the entity, e.g., in Red Hill..or Lake Erie.., Hill and Lake, are the generic elements (or ‘generics’). The elements that identify the particular entity, in the above instances Red and Erie, are called the specific elements (or ‘specifics’). 1969 J. Fowles French Lieutenant's Woman viii. 50 Although many scientists of the day gratefully used her [sc. Mary Anning's] finds to establish their own reputation, not one native type bears the specific anningii. 1977 Word 28 133 Most of the specifics, or second elements, in such names are demonstrably of Gaelic and not of Pictish origin. Compounds Of or designating a physical quantity that is referred to a unit of mass, volume, or other measure in order to form a number independent of the properties of the particular system studied, and so measuring an inherent property or characteristic that can be scaled to describe a given system or used as an indicator of the effect of an action or process.In modern use, there is a tendency to restrict the application of specific to quantities that are referred to unit mass. Accordingly, alternative terms are being advocated to replace those that do not conform to this narrow definition, as conductivity for specific conductance and specific conductivity, relative density for specific gravity, specific heat capacity (which is referred to unit mass) for specific heat, dielectric constant or relative permittivity for specific inductive capacity, and resistivity for specific resistance and specific resistivity. specific acoustic impedance n. (see impedance n. 2). specific activity n. the activity of a given radioisotope per unit mass. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > atomic nucleus > radioactive isotope > [noun] > activity in relation to mass specific activity1938 1938 Nature 18 June 1098/1 The specific activity of phosphatide P extracted from human blood corpuscles 24 hours after administration of labelled sodium phosphate was found to be 40 times less than that of plasma inorganic P. 1961 G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. xi. 186 Much higher levels of specific activity may be counted with no resolving time losses. specific charge n. the ratio of the charge of an ion or subatomic particle to its mass. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > particle physics > [noun] > ratio of charge to mass specific charge1926 the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > ion > [noun] > electrical property of particles > ratio of charge to mass specific charge1926 1926 R. W. Lawson tr. G. von Hevesy & F. A. Paneth Man. Radioactivity i. 6 From the magnitude of the deflexion, combined with similar deflexion experiments in an electric field, we can determine the magnitude of the specific charge (e/m). 1971 D. F. Jackson Concepts of Atomic Physics ii. 18 The specific charge of the lightest known ion, that of hydrogen, is 9·579 × 10⁷ C. kg^—1. specific conductance n. the conductivity of unit length of a material of unit cross-sectional area; the reciprocal of resistivity (see resistivity n.). ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > [noun] > conductive power conductivity1837 conductibility1862 conductility1883 conductance1885 specific conductance1885 specific conductivity1898 1885 O. Heaviside in Electrician 4 Sept. 311/1 ‘Specific resistance’ may well be called ‘resistivity’, and specific conductance ‘conductivity’, referring to the unit volume. Resistivity is the reciprocal of conductivity, and resistance of conductance. 1886 O. Heaviside in Electrician 29 Jan. 228/1 ‘Resistivity’ for specific resistance, and ‘conductance’ for what is sometimes called the conductibility of a wire, i.e., not its conductivity (specific conductance), but the reciprocal of its resistance. 1924 J. R. Partington in H. S. Taylor Treat. Physical Chem. I. xi. 517 In such cells conductivity water with a specific conductance of 0·21 × 10^—6 ohm^—1 can be kept 12 hours without change. 1958 E. U. Condon & H. Odishaw Handbk. Physics iv. ix. 141/1 In terms of Ohm's law, the defining equation..for specific conductance reduces to κ = I/E..where I is the current and E the potential applied to a centimeter-cube sample of the conductor. specific conductivity n. = specific conductance n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > transmission of electricity, conduction > [noun] > conductive power conductivity1837 conductibility1862 conductility1883 conductance1885 specific conductance1885 specific conductivity1898 1898 C. L. Speyers Text-bk. Physical Chem. ix. 166 A 5% aqueous solution of KCl at 0° has a specific conductivity of 0·0₅6617 mhos. 1957 G. E. Hutchinson Treat. Limnol. I. viii. 558 (caption) Composition of standard bicarbonate waters of varying specific conductivities. specific consumption n. (also specific fuel consumption) the weight of fuel consumed by an engine per unit time per unit of power or thrust developed; the reciprocal of specific impulse. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > [noun] > kinetics > thrust or propulsive force > ratio to consumption of fuel specific consumption1931 specific impulse1947 specific thrust1949 1931 Automotive Industries 9 May 726/2 Fig. 10 shows the variation in specific consumption, power and head temperature of the A70 cylinder, with change in fuel flow. 1946 J. W. Vale Aviation Mechanic's Engine Man. ix. 271 At any altitude the specific fuel consumption increases with the increase of power output. 1966 J. H. Horlock Axial Flow Turbines viii. 214 For the high by-pass ratios..the specific fuel consumption drops rapidly with increasing turbine temperature. specific impulse n. (see impulse n. 2c). specific ionization n. the number of ion pairs produced by an ionizing particle per unit path length. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > atomic physics > ion > [noun] > pair > number produced by ionizing particle specific ionization1932 1932 Physical Rev. 39 884 The specific ionization thus determined does not exceed 32 ion-pairs per cm, in water~saturated air at 68 cm pressure. 1961 G. R. Choppin Exper. Nucl. Chem. iii. 23 This specific ionization is a measure of the rate of energy loss. specific refraction n. = specific refractive constant n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > refraction > [noun] > index of refraction > constant specific refractive constant1899 specific refraction1940 1940 S. Glasstone Text-bk. Physical Chem. viii. 524 The difference between the specific refractions for two wave lengths, e.g., the Hα and Hγ lines, is called the specific dispersivity. specific refractive constant n. a constant relating the refractive index (n) of a material to its density (ρ), given by (n² − 1)/(ρ(n² + 2)). ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > refraction > [noun] > index of refraction > constant specific refractive constant1899 specific refraction1940 1899 J. Walker Introd. Physical Chem. xiv. 138 Another specific refractive constant is given by [etc.]. specific resistance n. = resistivity n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > resistance > [noun] > specific resistance resistivity1885 skin resistance1891 specific resistance1899 skin resistance1900 specific resistivity1958 1899 J. McCrae tr. A. Reychler Outl. Physical Chem. iii. ii. 197 In order to determine the specific resistance of a solution in ohms, we consider a cubical mass of the solution, the length of whose side is 1 centimetre. 1935 Wilson & Dowse tr. Holzer & Weissenberg Found. Short Wave Therapy 74 The specific resistance is not..a constant, independent of frequency. 1978 P. W. Atkins Physical Chem. xxv. 820 The resistance of a material increases with its length l but decreases with its cross-section A... The proportionality coefficient is called the resistivity, or specific resistance. specific resistivity n. = resistivity n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > electricity > resistance > [noun] > specific resistance resistivity1885 skin resistance1891 specific resistance1899 skin resistance1900 specific resistivity1958 1958 Chambers's Techn. Dict. 716/1 Resistivity, a term denoting volume resistivity, i.e. the resistance of a block of the material in question having unit length and unit cross-sectional area; also called specific resistivity. 1964 R. F. Ficchi Electr. Interference viii. 133 ρ is the specific resistivity of the conductor. specific rotatory power n. the angle through which the plane of polarization of light of a specified wavelength is rotated by passage through a column of an optically active substance of given length (usually 10 cm.) and at unit concentration. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > polarization > [noun] > rotation specific rotatory power1876 circumpolarization1885 Faraday effect1889 specific rotation1899 1876 Jrnl. Chem. Soc. 1 667 It is proposed to substitute α_D for the specific rotatory power obtained by means of the sodium ray. 1899 J. Walker Introd. Physical Chem. xiv. 139 The specific rotatory power is usually denoted by the symbol [α]. specific rotation n. = specific rotatory power n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > electromagnetic radiation > light > polarization > [noun] > rotation specific rotatory power1876 circumpolarization1885 Faraday effect1889 specific rotation1899 1899 J. Walker Introd. Physical Chem. xv. 150 The specific rotation of lævorotatory oil of turpentine is 37·01°. 1940 S. Glasstone Text-bk. Physical Chem. viii. 585 The optical rotatory power of a pure substance, particularly in the liquid state, is generally expressed in terms of its specific rotation or specific rotatory power. 1958 E. U. Condon & H. Odishaw Handbk. Physics vi. vi. 120/1 The molecular rotation is the product of the specific rotation by the molecular weight M of the active material. specific surface n. the surface area per unit volume of a finely-divided substance. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > constitution of matter > granular texture > [noun] > surface area per unit volume specific surface1924 1924 Chem. Abstr. 18 3507 The specific surfaces of several varieties of charcoal were measured. 1951 A. E. Alexander Surface Chem. i. 4 Colloidal materials such as charcoal and clays show adsorption phenomena very markedly owing to their large specific surfaces..which arises [sic] from their fine state of subdivision. 1977 Rowell & Farinato in L.-H. Lee Characterization of Metal & Polymer Surfaces II. 399 The specific surface of a monodisperse colloid becomes independent of the number concentration and refractive index of the spherical particles. specific thrust n. = specific impulse n. ΘΚΠ the world > matter > physics > mechanics > dynamics > [noun] > kinetics > thrust or propulsive force > ratio to consumption of fuel specific consumption1931 specific impulse1947 specific thrust1949 1949 D. G. Shepherd Introd. Gas Turbine iii. 78 The curves for specific thrust are in general of similar shape.., increasing with T_max and having in an optimum value at a certain pressure ratio. 1966 J. H. Horlock Axial Flow Turbines viii. 211 A high value of specific thrust means that small engine weight is required. specific volume n. the volume of a substance per unit mass; the reciprocal of density. ΚΠ 1868 H. B. Jones & H. Watts Fownes's Man. Elem. Chem. (ed. 10) 250 The numbers obtained..representing the specific volumes of the various solid and liquid elementary substances, present far more cases of discrepancy than of agreement. 1957 Amer. Inst. Physics Handbk. ii. 117 Many tables and other aids have been prepared for the routine calculation of density and specific volume of sea water. Draft additions January 2018 specific performance n. Law the performance of contractual duties; an instance of this; (also) a remedy granted by a court compelling a person to perform contractual duties, usually where damages would be inadequate as compensation. ΚΠ 1701 Case Honourable H. Cornwall (single sheet) The Appellant preferred his Bill against the Defendants, to discover their respective Titles, and to have a specific Performance of the Articles. 1830 Times 30 June 6/3 It was submitted the plaintiff was entitled to a decree for specific performance. 1931 North-China Herald 26 May 273/1 His Lordship..ordered the specific performance of a verbal agreement. 2010 L. Meyer Non-performance & Remedies under Internat. Contract Law Princ. & Indian Contract Law v. 125 In a suit for specific performance, the promisee may alternatively sue for termination of the contract. Draft additions September 2018 specific energy n. [partly (in sense (a)) after German specifische Energie (1837 or earlier; now spezifische Energie ); partly (in sense (b)) after French énergie spécifique (1889 or earlier)] (a) Physiology the specific activity or function of a given nerve, cell, etc. (now historical); (b) Physics the quantity of energy, (formerly) per unit volume or (now) per unit mass, which is stored in a given material or object (cf. energy density n. at energy n. Compounds 4). ΚΠ 1844 R. Willis tr. R. Wagner Elements Physiol. iii. §290. 530 When we speak of hearing in a physiological sense, we understand an excitement of the specific energy [Ger. spezifischen Energie] of the acoustic or seventh pair of cerebral nerves. 1890 Sci. Amer. Suppl. 31 May 12015/2 Whatever be the degree of attenuation [with sulphuric acid], the electric energy obtained per litre of liquid is sensibly the same... The attenuation may be obtained with other products..; but the specific energy [Fr. l'énergie spécifique] is thus reduced. 1893 Nature 14 Sept. 472/1 The process of lymphatic absorption..is in great measure due to the specific energy of cells. 1898 Electr. Rev. 3 June 786/2 Accumulators intended for electro-mobiles should above all possess..a high specific energy (watt-hours per kilogramme of total weight). 1963 Astrophysical Jrnl. 138 182 Assume that the specific energy is constant and that the cosmic pressure is zero during those stages of the expansion [of the universe]. 2010 L. Garey tr. M. Meulders Helmholtz ix. 144 Helmholtz..was convinced that understanding sprang from experience, whereas for Müller specific energy was obviously innate. 2014 C. Hall Materials: Very Short Introd. iii. 64 The specific energy of cellulose (and hence of wood) is only 17 MJ/kg, because the cellulose polymers already have a lot of oxygen in them, so are partially pre-oxidized. This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1913; most recently modified version published online June 2022). > see also also refers to : -specificadj. < adj.n.a1631 see also
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specificadj.n.

Compounds

Draft additions January 2018

Draft additions September 2018

> see also