specie¹

[spee-shee, -see]

See more synonyms for specie on Thesaurus.com

noun

coined money; coin.

Idioms

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.

Origin of specie¹

1545–55; < Latin (in) speciē (in) kind; see species

Can be confusedspecie species specious

specie²

[spee-shee, -see]

noun Nonstandard.

species.

Origin of specie²

by back formation, construing species as plural noun

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

Examples from the Web for specie

Historical Examples

Specie payments were suspended, and business was all but paralyzed.
The Story of the Upper Canada Rebellion, Volume 1
John Charles Dent
There is three hundred pounds sent at present, mostly in specie.
Memoirs of the Jacobites of 1715 and 1745
Mrs. Thomson
It seems that they've had a deal of trouble to get the amount in specie.
The Man With The Broken Ear
Edmond About
For us to pay a foreigner with specie is like paying him with coffee.
Sophisms of the Protectionists
Frederic Bastiat
This amount was remitted, in the twelve months preceding the war, in specie.
Albert Gallatin
John Austin Stevens

British Dictionary definitions for specie

specie

noun

coin money, as distinguished from bullion or paper money
in specie
1. (of money) in coin
2. in kind
3. lawin the actual form specified

Word Origin

C16: from the Latin phrase in speciē in kind

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

Word Origin and History for specie

n.

1610s, "coin, money in the form of coins" (as opposed to paper money or bullion), from phrase in specie "in the real or actual form" (1550s), from Latin in specie "in kind," ablative of species "kind, form, sort" (see species).

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specie2

Origin of specie2

Examples from the Web for specie

Historical Examples

Specie payments were suspended, and business was all but paralyzed.

There is three hundred pounds sent at present, mostly in specie.

It seems that they've had a deal of trouble to get the amount in specie.

For us to pay a foreigner with specie is like paying him with coffee.

This amount was remitted, in the twelve months preceding the war, in specie.