specimen

American  

[spes-uh-muhn] / ˈspɛs ə mən /

noun

• specimens
  plural

1. a part or an individual taken as exemplifying a whole mass or number; a typical animal, plant, mineral, part, etc.

   Synonyms:

   pattern, model, type

2. (in medicine, microbiology, etc.) a sample of a substance or material for examination or study.

   a urine specimen; a tissue specimen.

3. a particular or peculiar kind of person.

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specimen British  

/ ˈspɛsɪmɪn /

noun

1. 1. an individual, object, or part regarded as typical of the group or class to which it belongs

   2. ( as modifier )

      a specimen signature

      a specimen page

2. med a sample of tissue, blood, urine, etc, taken for diagnostic examination or evaluation

3. the whole or a part of an organism, plant, rock, etc, collected and preserved as an example of its class, species, etc

4. informal a person

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Synonym Usage

See example.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• specimens
  plural

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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

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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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

specimen specimens

One specimen, identified as Embryo No. 3, stood out because its DNA recording system had functioned particularly well and preserved the most extensive developmental history.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 13, 2026

The specimen is about 2 million years old, making it roughly 200,000 years older than adult Homo erectus fossils discovered elsewhere, including specimens from Dmanisi in Georgia that date to about 1.8 million years ago.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026

Any analysis that requires drilling or removing part of a specimen permanently alters an object that cannot be replaced.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 20, 2026

The excellent preservation of the specimen allowed the researchers to recognize several anatomical traits associated with Diplodocus, including:

From Science Daily ● Sep. 19, 2026

I mean to say, you are a pretty impressive specimen.

From "The Remains of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro

After some plants evolved leaves, they began shading out shorter specimens.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

Although Bloomer's original Crawzilla did not claim the top spot, it still earned a place among the largest specimens identified.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 16, 2026

It was one of more than 1,000 specimens discovered by Tooley that were acquired by the Natural History Museum after his death.

From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026

By comparing the new snout with museum specimens from Britain and Europe, it provided clear evidence that fossils originally thought to be Severnichthys were actually a combination of two separate species.

From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026

Normally, a DNA exhumation consists of gathering several specimens in the event that one might not be suitable.

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

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Related Words

• copy
• exhibit
• variety

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