specificity

[spes-uh-fis-i-tee]

noun

the quality or state of being specific.
Biochemistry, Pharmacology. the selective attachment or influence of one substance on another, as an antibiotic and its target organism or an antibody and its specific antigen.

Origin of specificity

First recorded in 1875–80; specific + -ity

Related formsnon·spec·i·fic·i·ty, noun

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

Related Words for specificities

particularity, precision, distinction, selectivity, relevance, idiosyncrasy, exactitude, meticulousness

Word Origin and History for specificities

specificity

n.

1876, from French spécificité or else a native formation from specific + -ity.

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper

specificities in Medicine

specificity

[spĕs′ə-fĭs′ĭ-tē]

n.

The condition or state of being specific.
The statistical probability that an individual who does not have the particular disease being tested for will be correctly identified as negative, expressed as the proportion of true negative results to the total of true negative and false positive results.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.