specialty

[ spesh-uhl-tee ]
See synonyms for: specialtyspecialties on Thesaurus.com

noun,plural spe·cial·ties.
  1. a special or distinctive quality, mark, state, or condition.

  2. a special subject of study, line of work, area of interest, or the like: His specialty is art criticism.

  1. an article or service particularly dealt in, rendered, manufactured, etc., or one to which the provider, dealer, or manufacturer claims to devote special care: The manufacturer's specialty is fine hats.

  2. an article of unusual or superior design or quality.

  3. a novelty; a new article.

  4. an article with such strong consumer demand that it is at least partially removed from price competition.

  5. a special or particular point, item, matter, characteristic, or peculiarity.

  6. Law.

    • a special agreement, contract, etc., expressed in an instrument under seal.

    • a negotiable instrument not under seal.

adjective
  1. Theater. (in vaudeville)

    • performing or performed in a manner that is unusual or not customary for a type of act, especially a performance involving dexterity or ingenuity, as a patter song: specialty actor; specialty act.

    • (of a song or dance) isolated from the rest of the show: specialty number.

Origin of specialty

1
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English specialte, specialite “particular affection, fondness,” from Old French especialte, specialte “special quality, favor, or privilege,” from Latin speciālitāt- (inflectional stem of speciālitās) “particularity, peculiarity”;see special, -ity

Other words for specialty

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use specialty in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for specialty

specialty

/ (ˈspɛʃəltɪ) /


nounplural -ties
  1. law a formal contract or obligation expressed in a deed

  2. US and Canadian a special interest or skill

    • a service or product specialized in, as at a restaurant: roast beef was a specialty of the house

    • (as modifier): a specialty dish

  1. a special or distinguishing feature or characteristic

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