specify as a condition or requirement in a contract or agreement; make an express demand or provision in an agreement; "The will stipulates that she can live in the house for the rest of her life"; "The contract stipulates the dates of the payments" [syn: stipulate]
2.
decide upon or fix definitely; "fix the variables"; "specify the parameters"
3.
determine the essential quality of
4.
be specific about; "Could you please specify your criticism of my paper?" [ant: generalise]
5.
define clearly; "I cannot narrow down the rules for this game" [syn: pin down]
6.
design or destine; "She was intended to become the director" [syn: intend]
7.
select something or someone for a specific purpose; "The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise" [syn: assign]
Spe*cif"ic\, a. [F. sp['e]cifique, or NL. cpesificus; L. species a particular sort or kind + facere to make. Cf. Specify.]1. Of or pertaining to a species; characterizing or constituting a species; possessing the peculiar property or properties of a thing which constitute its species, and distinguish it from other things; as, the specific form of an animal or a plant; the specific qualities of a drug; the specific distinction between virtue and vice. Specific difference is that primary attribute which distinguishes each species from one another. --I. Watts. 2. Specifying; definite, or making definite; limited; precise; discriminating; as, a specific statement. 3. (Med.) Exerting a peculiar influence over any part of the body; preventing or curing disease by a peculiar adaption, and not on general principles; as, quinine is a specific medicine in cases of malaria. In fact, all medicines will be found specific in the perfection of the science. --Coleridge. Specific character (Nat. Hist.), a characteristic or characteristics distinguishing one species from every other species of the same genus. Specific disease (Med.) (a) A disease which produces a determinate definite effect upon the blood and tissues or upon some special tissue. (b) A disease which is itself uniformly produced by a definite and peculiar poison or organism. Specific duty. (Com.) See under Duty. Specific gravity. (Physics) See under Gravity. Specific heat (Physics), the quantity of heat required to raise temperature of a body one degree, taking as the unit of measure the quantity required to raise the same weight of water from zero to one degree; thus, the specific heat of mercury is 0.033, that of water being 1.000. Specific inductive capacity (Physics), the effect of a dielectric body in producing static electric induction as compared with that of some other body or bodies referred to as a standard. Specific legacy (Law), a bequest of a particular thing, as of a particular animal or piece of furniture, specified and distinguished from all others. --Wharton. --Burrill. Specific name (Nat., Hist.), the name which, appended to the name of the genus, constitutes the distinctive name of the species; -- originally applied by Linn[ae]us to the essential character of the species, or the essential difference. The present specific name he at first called the trivial name. Specific performance (Law), the peformance of a contract or agreement as decreed by a court of equity.
Spec"i*fy\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Specified; p. pr. & vb. n. Specifying.] [F. sp['e]cifier, or OF. especifier, fr. LL. specificare. See Species, -fy.] To mention or name, as a particular thing; to designate in words so as to distinguish from other things; as, to specify the uses of a plant; to specify articles purchased. He has there given us an exact geography of Greece, where the countries and the uses of their soils are specified. --Pope.
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Audio Help [spes-uh-fahy] Pronunciation Key verb, -fied, -fy·ing. 
