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specie

1 American  
[spee-shee, -see] / ˈspi ʃi, -si /

noun

  1. coined money; coin.

idioms

  1. in specie,

    1. in the same kind.

    2. (of money) in coin.

    3. in a similar manner; in kind.

      Such treachery should be repaid in specie.

    4. Law. in the identical shape, form, etc., as specified.

specie 2 American  
[spee-shee, -see] / ˈspi ʃi, -si /

noun

Nonstandard.

  1. species.

specie British  
/ ˈspiːʃiː /

noun

  1. coin money, as distinguished from bullion or paper money

    1. (of money) in coin

    2. in kind

    3. law in the actual form specified

"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

Etymology

Origin of specie1

First recorded in 1545–55; from Latin (in) speciē “(in) kind”; 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

Customers rushed to trade banknotes for coins, but the banks suspended specie payments again.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

Faced with panic, banks froze credit and suspended specie payments, sending the economy into recession.

From Textbooks • Jan. 18, 2018

In 1818, the Second Bank of the United States needed specie to pay foreign investors who had loaned money to the United States to enable the country to purchase Louisiana.

From Textbooks • Dec. 30, 2014

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.