specimen
Americannoun
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a part or an individual taken as exemplifying a whole mass or number; a typical animal, plant, mineral, part, etc.
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(in medicine, microbiology, etc.) a sample of a substance or material for examination or study.
a urine specimen; a tissue specimen.
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a particular or peculiar kind of person.
noun
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an individual, object, or part regarded as typical of the group or class to which it belongs
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( as modifier )
a specimen signature
a specimen page
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med a sample of tissue, blood, urine, etc, taken for diagnostic examination or evaluation
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the whole or a part of an organism, plant, rock, etc, collected and preserved as an example of its class, species, etc
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informal a person
Related Words
See example.
Etymology
Origin of specimen
1600–10; < Latin: mark, example, indication, sign, equivalent to speci-, stem of specere to look, regard + -men noun suffix denoting result or means
Explanation
A specimen is a sample of something, like a specimen of blood or body tissue that is taken for medical testing. The noun specimen comes from the Latin word specere, meaning “to look.” Biologists collect specimens so they can get a better look at something to study it. The idea is that, with a good specimen, you can learn about an entire group: it's a good representation. That meaning is echoed in the slang use of specimen, a strong, healthy and attractive person.
Vocabulary lists containing specimen
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Common Senses: Spec, Spect, Spic ("Look")
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Charlotte's Web
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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.
The wing patterns, front and back, are centered on individual sheets, themselves screen printed to create standardized forms for specimen information and further ornamented with spatter-printed reliefs of butterflies.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026
"For instance, one specimen looks a lot like the sand worm from Dune!"
From Science Daily • Apr. 6, 2026
The new specimen predates them by 20 million years, placing M. cousteaui near the base of the chelicerate lineage.
From Science Daily • Apr. 3, 2026
"And our specimen is also a juvenile or 'baby', so it's perfect for our dinosaur species name to honor Dooly."
From Science Daily • Apr. 1, 2026
She was with a very small boy, unmistakably her brother, whose cap she removed by lifting it off his head with two fingers, as if it were a laboratory specimen.
From "Nine Stories" by J. D. Salinger
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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.