specification

American  

[spes-uh-fi-key-shuhn] / ˌspɛs ə fɪˈkeɪ ʃən /

noun

• specifications
  plural

1. the act of specifying.

2. Usually specifications.

   1. a detailed description or assessment of requirements, dimensions, materials, etc., as of a proposed building, machine, bridge, etc.

   2. Computers. a detailed description of the hardware installed, including the memory capacity, processor speed, and graphics card model.

3. a particular item, aspect, calculation, etc., in such a description.

4. something specified, as in a bill of particulars; a specified particular, item, or article.

   Synonyms:

   qualification, condition, requirement

5. an act of making specific.

6. the state of having a specific character.

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specification British  

/ ˌspɛsɪfɪˈkeɪʃən /

noun

1. the act or an instance of specifying

2. (in patent law) a written statement accompanying an application for a patent that describes the nature of an invention

3. a detailed description of the criteria for the constituents, construction, appearance, performance, etc, of a material, apparatus, etc, or of the standard of workmanship required in its manufacture

4. an item, detail, etc, specified

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonspecification
  noun
• prespecification
  noun
• respecification
  noun
• superspecification
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• specifications
  plural

Etymology

Origin of specification

First recorded in 1605–15; from Medieval Latin specificātiōn- (stem of specificātiō ), equivalent to specificāt(us) (past participle of specificāre “to mention, describe”; see specific, -ate ¹) + -iōn- -ion

Explanation

We sometimes call them "specs," but a specification has no relationship to eyeglasses! Instead, it is an explicit detail of a design, presenting the exact way something specific must be constructed. For example, blueprints contain the specifications for a building. In the 17th century, the word specification emerged with the meaning of giving something a specific quality. The technical meaning, applied to building and engineering plans, developed in the late 18th century. The meaning of the word is precise, referring to specific plans, although just because it's a specification doesn't mean it is accurate. Science-fiction writer Robert Heinlein once had his character Lazarus Long make the comment, "An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

specification specifications

"We are now waiting to see if we can upgrade our specification and if this helps exploitation somehow," Stella said.

From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026

Arcade said it has also contributed directly to the open-source MCP specification and open-source technology that lets customers build their own MCP servers with the same capabilities.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 15, 2026

The Black Badge specification features a dark-anodized grille and hood figurine in the place of chrome brightwork—younger, fresher, more nocturnal, but also nicely understated, which I like.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

Judging competitiveness in testing is always difficult because there are so many variables and teams do not reveal the specification in which they run their cars.

From BBC ● Feb. 13, 2026

The very earliest events in the specification of an embryo—the specification of the body axis, of front and back, and left versus right—were among the last to be understood.

From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee

In April, City of York Council struggled to attract interest from construction firms to build 315 homes to the standard due to market conditions and the complexity of building to such specifications.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

But an increasing amount of those sales are actually within prebuilt components, such as frame sections for houses, built to specifications provided by the builders.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Authorities in Seoul and Washington were analysing the missile's exact specifications, it added in a message to news organisations.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

That drone can carry more than 200 pounds at sea level and about 100 pounds on the mountain, according to company specifications.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 26, 2026

Since the initial release of its specifications and performance charts back in August of 2020, most police agencies which dealt with escaped andys had been protesting.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Related Words

• blueprint
• spec
• stipulation