specification English · revision 39890

+ {{infobox|confidence=established|formation=borrowing|attested=1447, Paston Letters|origins=la speciēs}}

+

+ ==Pronunciation==

+ * UK: /ˌspesɪfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌspesəfɪˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/^(Wiktionary)

+ * US: /ˌspesɪfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/, /ˌspesəfəˈkeɪʃ(ə)n/^(Wiktionary)

+

+ ==Etymology==

+ It is [[bor|la-med|specificātiō]], "assignment to a species; precise statement",^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)^(ODE 2010) a noun of action formed on the past participle of [[m|la-lat|specificō|t=to mention particularly, specify]],^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(Dictionary.com 2016) the source of [[specify]].^(OED 2026) The verb comes from [[m|la-lat|specificus|t=specific]],^(Etymonline)^(Dictionary.com 2016) itself from [[m|la|speciēs|t=kind, appearance]].^(Etymonline) Klein thinks the word probably came through [[m|fr|spécification]],^(Klein 1966) and Johnson (1755) gave both the English adjective and the French word as its sources;^(Johnson 1755) the OED compares the French noun (1341) and [[m|it|specificazione]] (1330).^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Earliest recorded meaning==

+ A specific detail or item, especially in a document: 1447, in the Paston Letters, according to the revised OED of 2024.^(OED 2026) Other dictionaries date the word later: Merriam-Webster to 1615, Etymonline to the 1610s and the Shorter Oxford to the late 16th century.^(MWU 2024)^(Etymonline)^(SOED 2002)

+

+ ==Semantic evolution==

+ From about 1554 the word meant an explicit or detailed statement of something.^(OED 2026) Etymonline's first sense, "the act of investing something with a particular quality", is from 1615,^(OED 2026)^(Etymonline)^(MWU 2024) and an obsolete sense "specific character or nature" lasted from 1608 to 1710.^(OED 2026) Roman and Scots law used it from 1651 for the making of new property out of material belonging to another,^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024) a sense the OED notes was not found in French until 1685.^(OED 2026) The modern sense, a detailed description of the design and materials of something to be made, is recorded from 1717,^(OED 2026) and the patent document describing an invention from 1730;^(OED 2026) Etymonline dates the technical sense to 1833, originally in patent law.^(Etymonline) Johnson (1755) defined it as "distinct notation" and "particular mention".^(Johnson 1755) Kantian logic used it from 1825 for making a notion more definite,^(OED 2026) and the short form [[spec]] is found by 1956.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Timeline==

+ * 1447 – a specified detail or item.^(OED 2026)

+ * c. 1554 – an explicit, detailed statement.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1615 – the act of giving something a specific quality.^(OED 2026)^(MWU 2024)

+ * 1651 – (Roman and Scots law) making new property from another's material.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1717 – a detailed plan of something to be made.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1730 – a patent description.^(OED 2026)

+ * 1956 – the short form ''spec''.^(Etymonline)

+

+ ==Modern meaning==

+ ===Noun===

+ # A detailed description of the [[design]], [[material]]s, measurements and standards required for something to be made or done, often in the plural: ''The engine was built to the airline's specifications.''^(Collins 2023)^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+ # The act of [[specify]]ing; a precise statement or naming of something.^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # (patent law) A written description of an [[invention]], submitted with an application for a [[patent]].^(Collins 2023)^(OED 2026)

+ # (Roman and Scots law) The making of new [[property]] by working material that belongs to someone else.^(MWU 2024)^(OED 2026)

+

+ ==Word family==

+ * [[nonspecification]]

+ * [[prespecification]]

+ * [[respecification]]

+

+ ==Related words==

+ * [[species]]

+ * [[specific]]

+ * [[specify]]

+ * [[spec]]

+

+ ==References==

+ {{reflist}}