specimen

American  

[spes-uh-muhn] / ˈspɛs ə mən /

noun

• specimens
  plural

1. a part or an individual taken as exemplifying a whole mass or number; a typical animal, plant, mineral, part, etc.

   Synonyms:

   pattern, model, type

2. (in medicine, microbiology, etc.) a sample of a substance or material for examination or study.

   a urine specimen; a tissue specimen.

3. a particular or peculiar kind of person.

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specimen British  

/ ˈspɛsɪmɪn /

noun

1. 1. an individual, object, or part regarded as typical of the group or class to which it belongs

   2. ( as modifier )

      a specimen signature

      a specimen page

2. med a sample of tissue, blood, urine, etc, taken for diagnostic examination or evaluation

3. the whole or a part of an organism, plant, rock, etc, collected and preserved as an example of its class, species, etc

4. informal a person

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Synonym Usage

See example.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• specimens
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of specimen

1600–10; < Latin: mark, example, indication, sign, equivalent to speci-, stem of specere to look, regard + -men noun suffix denoting result or means

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Explanation

A specimen is a sample of something, like a specimen of blood or body tissue that is taken for medical testing. The noun specimen comes from the Latin word specere, meaning “to look.” Biologists collect specimens so they can get a better look at something to study it. The idea is that, with a good specimen, you can learn about an entire group: it's a good representation. That meaning is echoed in the slang use of specimen, a strong, healthy and attractive person.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

specimen specimens

One specimen, identified as Embryo No. 3, stood out because its DNA recording system had functioned particularly well and preserved the most extensive developmental history.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

Even so, the newly studied Austronaga minuta specimen stands out.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

The early version of the method required more fossil material than a museum would reasonably sacrifice from such an important and irreplaceable specimen.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

Their results placed the specimen securely within the Diplodocus genus and identified it as a close relative of Diplodocus hallorum.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

“Moss, where did you find this fine specimen of a man?”

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro

After some plants evolved leaves, they began shading out shorter specimens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

It had been collected in 2011 by Dr. Zac Loughman and students from West Liberty University, making the discovery possible through the examination of existing museum specimens.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

It was one of more than 1,000 specimens discovered by Tooley that were acquired by the Natural History Museum after his death.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

By comparing the new snout with museum specimens from Britain and Europe, it provided clear evidence that fossils originally thought to be Severnichthys were actually a combination of two separate species.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

The forest troll has a pale-green skin and some specimens have hair, which is green or brown, thin and straggly.

From "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" by J.K. Rowling

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Related Words

• copy
• exhibit
• variety

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