specimen
a part or an individual taken as exemplifying a whole mass or number; a typical animal, plant, mineral, part, etc.
(in medicine, microbiology, etc.) a sample of a substance or material for examination or study: a urine specimen; a tissue specimen.
a particular or peculiar kind of person.
Origin of specimen
1synonym study For specimen
Other words for specimen
Words Nearby specimen
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use specimen in a sentence
The specimen dates back 50 million years to the Eocene epoch, meaning this particular taxonomic group may be twice as old as scientists previously assumed.
Rare 50 million-year-old fossilized bug flashes its penis for posterity | Jennifer Ouellette | February 4, 2021 | Ars TechnicaThe key to fine pruning is to end up with a specimen that is groomed and structurally sound but still looks natural.
It’s tree-pruning season. Here’s how to do it without resorting to ‘crape murder.’ | Adrian Higgins | January 27, 2021 | Washington PostHis 2016 NBA Finals heroics made him a champion, and his signature shoes have the best design concepts of the three, but he is neither a comparable scorer nor physical specimen.
The Nets got better with the James Harden trade. How much better is up to Kyrie Irving. | Jerry Brewer | January 14, 2021 | Washington PostThe oldest specimens studied by the La Jolla team were obtained about nine months ago, Weiskopf said.
Post-infection coronavirus immunity usually robust after 8 months, study shows | Joel Achenbach | January 7, 2021 | Washington PostAlthough these policies apply to USGS scientists, they’re a good model of specimen stewardship for the entire scientific community.
How fossil preservation and public health are intertwined | By Colella & McLean/The Conversation | December 18, 2020 | Popular-Science
I just love the fact that they believe me to be enough of a physical specimen to be a part of those organizations!
Jon Stewart Talks ‘Rosewater’ and the ‘Chickensh-t’ Democrats’ Midterm Massacre | Marlow Stern | November 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHe loved planting unusual trees, shrubs, and flowers throughout the grounds, and carefully directed where each specimen would go.
When Gary Wright Met George Harrison: Dream Weaver, John and Yoko, and More | Gary Wright | September 29, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThat gave participants an opportunity to try taxidermy without skinning the specimen, which some people find hard to stomach.
Under Mongolian law, any fossil specimen found in the Gobi Desert must stay in the possession of a Mongolian institution.
Stopping the Million-Dollar Fossil Thieves: Illegal Trade Meets World of Insatiable Research | Scott Bixby | June 11, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTEventually, several people squat over a newspaper in the hopes of matching a fresh specimen with the one in question.
Why ‘It’s Always Sunny’ Is Funny: An Examination of Scenes, Stripped of Context | Caitlin Dickson | November 10, 2013 | THE DAILY BEASTAs a rule, however, even in the case of extreme varieties, a careful examination of the specimen will enable it to be identified.
How to Know the Ferns | S. Leonard BastinA moderately enlarged testis (probably regressing) was noted in the specimen from Pisté, on July 21.
Summer Birds From the Yucatan Peninsula | Erwin E. KlaasMiss Thangue sat forward with the frank curiosity of the Englishwoman when inspecting a foreign specimen.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton"A beautiful specimen; a man of great force," I unburdened myself when we got outside.
Raw Gold | Bertrand W. SinclairThere was one honest dog in that company, but the two-legged specimen was a little "too sweet to be wholesome."
The Book of Anecdotes and Budget of Fun; | Various
British Dictionary definitions for specimen
/ (ˈspɛsɪmɪn) /
an individual, object, or part regarded as typical of the group or class to which it belongs
(as modifier): a specimen signature; a specimen page
med a sample of tissue, blood, urine, etc, taken for diagnostic examination or evaluation
the whole or a part of an organism, plant, rock, etc, collected and preserved as an example of its class, species, etc
informal, often derogatory a person
Origin of specimen
1Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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