spec

[spek]

See more synonyms for spec on Thesaurus.com

noun

Usually specs. specification(def 2).
speculation.

adjective

built, done, bought, etc., as a speculation: the construction of spec houses.

verb (used with object), spec'd or specked or specced, spec'·ing or speck·ing or spec·cing.

to provide specifications for: Their newest truck was spec'd by a computer.

Idioms

on spec, made, built, or done with hopes of but no assurance of payment or a sale; without commitment by a client or buyer: ad illustrations done on spec; luxury homes built on spec and sold before completion.

Origin of spec

An Americanism dating back to 1785–95; by shortening

Related formsspec·’er, speck·er, noun

specs

[speks]

plural noun Informal.

spectacles; eyeglasses.
specifications.

Origin of specs

First recorded in 1800–10; by shortening

spec.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for spec

Contemporary Examples

A Facebook photo shows four of them, 28-year-old Staff Sgt Francis Phillips, 19-year-old Spec.
Heroes of a Forgotten War
Michael Daly
May 27, 2013
Cody Towse, 29-year-old Sgt.1st Class Jeffrey Baker, 24-year-old Spec.
Heroes of a Forgotten War
Michael Daly
May 27, 2013
Then comes the spec, circus slang for the spectacle that opens the show.
Giovanni Zoppé’s Real-Life Family Circus
Malcolm Jones
October 21, 2012
The director, Peter Hermes, had an online sample reel of previous work that included a spec Doritos commercial.
Two California Women Turn Themselves Into Real-Life Versions of Thelma and Louise
Michael Daly
January 7, 2012
Richard Rushfield is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of On Spec: A Novel of Young Hollywood.
Memories in the Facebook Age
Richard Rushfield
November 26, 2009

Historical Examples

"Spec she's taken dem dogs a walkin'," said black Deborah unconcernedly.
The Inn at the Red Oak
Latta Griswold
"Da-da-dat is, er—I spec' so—er—I dun'no', ma'm," he stammered.
Southern Lights and Shadows
Various
I even added grimly that I knew only too well how that sort of spec.
'Twixt Land & Sea
Joseph Conrad
Like Topsy one can but "'spec' it growed" rather than was created.
Holbein
Beatrice Fortescue
I 'spec' you must finish him up, and let's see what he wants of us.'
Oldtown Fireside Stories
Harriet Beecher Stowe

British Dictionary definitions for spec

spec

noun

on spec as a speculation or gambleall the tickets were sold so I went to the theatre on spec

adjective

(prenominal) Australian and NZ speculativea spec developer

Word Origin

C19: short for speculation or speculative

spec.

abbreviation for

specification
speculation

specs

pl n informal

short for spectacles
short for specificationsSee specification

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

spec

Origin of spec

specs

Origin of specs

spec.

Examples from the Web for spec

Contemporary Examples

A Facebook photo shows four of them, 28-year-old Staff Sgt Francis Phillips, 19-year-old Spec.

Cody Towse, 29-year-old Sgt.1st Class Jeffrey Baker, 24-year-old Spec.

Then comes the spec, circus slang for the spectacle that opens the show.

The director, Peter Hermes, had an online sample reel of previous work that included a spec Doritos commercial.

Richard Rushfield is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of On Spec: A Novel of Young Hollywood.

Historical Examples

"Spec she's taken dem dogs a walkin'," said black Deborah unconcernedly.

"Da-da-dat is, er—I spec' so—er—I dun'no', ma'm," he stammered.

I even added grimly that I knew only too well how that sort of spec.

Like Topsy one can but "'spec' it growed" rather than was created.

I 'spec' you must finish him up, and let's see what he wants of us.'

spec

Word Origin

spec.

specs

Word Origin and History for spec

n.

Idioms and Phrases with spec

spec

spec

Origin of .css-1fxfie5{font-size:22px;}@media (max-width:768px){.css-1fxfie5{font-size:18px;margin:0 10px 10px 0;word-break:break-all;word-wrap:break-word;-webkit-hyphens:auto;-moz-hyphens:auto;-ms-hyphens:auto;hyphens:auto;line-height:22px;}}spec

specs

Origin of specs

spec.

Examples from the Web for spec

Contemporary Examples

A Facebook photo shows four of them, 28-year-old Staff Sgt Francis Phillips, 19-year-old Spec.

Cody Towse, 29-year-old Sgt.1st Class Jeffrey Baker, 24-year-old Spec.

Then comes the spec, circus slang for the spectacle that opens the show.

The director, Peter Hermes, had an online sample reel of previous work that included a spec Doritos commercial.

Richard Rushfield is a contributing editor at Vanity Fair and the author of On Spec: A Novel of Young Hollywood.

Historical Examples

"Spec she's taken dem dogs a walkin'," said black Deborah unconcernedly.

"Da-da-dat is, er—I spec' so—er—I dun'no', ma'm," he stammered.

I even added grimly that I knew only too well how that sort of spec.

Like Topsy one can but "'spec' it growed" rather than was created.

I 'spec' you must finish him up, and let's see what he wants of us.'

spec

Word Origin

spec.

specs

Word Origin and History for spec

n.

Idioms and Phrases with spec

spec

Origin of spec