specie
1 Americannoun
idioms
noun
noun
-
coin money, as distinguished from bullion or paper money
-
-
(of money) in coin
-
in kind
-
law in the actual form specified
-
Etymology
Origin of specie1
First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin (in) speciē “(in) kind”; see species
Origin of specie2
By back formation, construing species as plural noun
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Until recently, the only non-human species of mammals that were known to experience menopause were a select few specie, such as orcas — not primates.
From Salon ● Dec. 11, 2023
Under the assumption that customers would never try to redeem all their notes at once, even the best banks loaned more paper than the specie in their vaults, handsomely multiplying the interest they collected.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
![]()
Low specie reserves endangered banks when business instability made coins more trustworthy than paper.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
![]()
Van Buren did worry, however, that federal funds now lay trapped in private banks that paid unredeemable paper notes instead of specie.
From Textbooks ● Jan. 18, 2018
![]()
Quintilian goes on to argue, interestingly, that sometimes what might be decorous in practical terms could be unbecoming sub specie aeternitate.
From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith
![]()
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.