specify


Also found in: Thesaurus, Medical, Financial, Encyclopedia.
Related to specify: Spotify

spec·i·fy

 (spĕs′ə-fī′)
tr.v. spec·i·fied, spec·i·fy·ing, spec·i·fies
1. To state explicitly or in detail: specified the amount needed; specified what was wrong with the program.
2. To include in a specification.
3. To determine or bring about (a specific result): a gene that specifies the synthesis of a single protein.

[Middle English specifien, from Old French specifier, from Medieval Latin specificāre, from specificus, specific; see specific.]

spec′i·fi′er n.
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

specify

(ˈspɛsɪˌfaɪ)
vb (tr; may take a clause as object) , -fies, -fying or -fied
1. to refer to or state specifically
2. to state as a condition
3. (Mechanical Engineering) to state or include in the specification of
[C13: from Medieval Latin specificāre to describe]
specificative adj
ˈspeciˌfier n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

spec•i•fy

(ˈspɛs əˌfaɪ)

v. -fied, -fy•ing. v.t.
1. to mention or name specifically or definitely; state in detail.
2. to give a specific character to.
3. to set forth as a specification.
4. to name or state as a condition.
v.i.
5. to make a specific mention or statement.
[1250–1300; Middle English < Old French specifier < Medieval Latin specificāre. See specific, -fy]
spec′i•fi•ca`tive (-ˌkeɪ tɪv) adj.
spec′i•fi•ca`tive•ly, adv.
spec′i•fi`er, n.
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

specify


Past participle: specified
Gerund: specifying

Imperative
specify
specify
Present
I specify
you specify
he/she/it specifies
we specify
you specify
they specify
Preterite
I specified
you specified
he/she/it specified
we specified
you specified
they specified
Present Continuous
I am specifying
you are specifying
he/she/it is specifying
we are specifying
you are specifying
they are specifying
Present Perfect
I have specified
you have specified
he/she/it has specified
we have specified
you have specified
they have specified
Past Continuous
I was specifying
you were specifying
he/she/it was specifying
we were specifying
you were specifying
they were specifying
Past Perfect
I had specified
you had specified
he/she/it had specified
we had specified
you had specified
they had specified
Future
I will specify
you will specify
he/she/it will specify
we will specify
you will specify
they will specify
Future Perfect
I will have specified
you will have specified
he/she/it will have specified
we will have specified
you will have specified
they will have specified
Future Continuous
I will be specifying
you will be specifying
he/she/it will be specifying
we will be specifying
you will be specifying
they will be specifying
Present Perfect Continuous
I have been specifying
you have been specifying
he/she/it has been specifying
we have been specifying
you have been specifying
they have been specifying
Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been specifying
you will have been specifying
he/she/it will have been specifying
we will have been specifying
you will have been specifying
they will have been specifying
Past Perfect Continuous
I had been specifying
you had been specifying
he/she/it had been specifying
we had been specifying
you had been specifying
they had been specifying
Conditional
I would specify
you would specify
he/she/it would specify
we would specify
you would specify
they would specify
Past Conditional
I would have specified
you would have specified
he/she/it would have specified
we would have specified
you would have specified
they would have specified
Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Verb1.specify - 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"
contract, undertake - enter into a contractual arrangement
stipulate - give a guarantee or promise of; "They stipulated to release all the prisoners"
provide - determine (what is to happen in certain contingencies), especially by including a proviso condition or stipulation; "The will provides that each child should receive half of the money"; "The Constitution provides for the right to free speech"
2.specify - decide upon or fix definitely; "fix the variables"; "specify the parameters"
quantify - use as a quantifier
choose, pick out, select, take - pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her"
name - mention and identify by name; "name your accomplices!"
reset - set anew; "They re-set the date on the clock"
define - give a definition for the meaning of a word; "Define `sadness'"
3.specify - determine the essential quality of
determine - fix in scope; fix the boundaries of; "the tree determines the border of the property"
be - have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun); "John is rich"; "This is not a good answer"
redefine - give a new or different definition to; "She redefined his duties"
4.specify - be specific about; "Could you please specify your criticism of my paper?"
elaborate, expatiate, expound, lucubrate, dilate, flesh out, exposit, enlarge, expand - add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing; "She elaborated on the main ideas in her dissertation"
spell out - make explicit; specify in detail; "You should spell out your demands"
generalise, generalize - speak or write in generalities
5.specify - define clearly; "I cannot narrow down the rules for this game"
determine - fix in scope; fix the boundaries of; "the tree determines the border of the property"
concretize - make something concrete
6.specify - design or destine; "She was intended to become the director"
plan - make plans for something; "He is planning a trip with his family"
mean - destine or designate for a certain purpose; "These flowers were meant for you"
design - plan something for a specific role or purpose or effect; "This room is not designed for work"
slate - designate or schedule; "He slated his talk for 9 AM"; "She was slated to be his successor"
aim, calculate, direct - specifically design a product, event, or activity for a certain public
7.specify - select something or someone for a specific purpose; "The teacher assigned him to lead his classmates in the exercise"
choose, pick out, select, take - pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives; "Take any one of these cards"; "Choose a good husband for your daughter"; "She selected a pair of shoes from among the dozen the salesgirl had shown her"
dedicate - set apart to sacred uses with solemn rites, of a church
detail - assign to a specific task; "The ambulances were detailed to the fire station"
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.

specify

verb state, designate, spell out, stipulate, name, detail, mention, indicate, define, cite, individualize, enumerate, itemize, be specific about, particularize He has not specified what action he would like them to take.
Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

specify

verb
1. To make known or identify, as by signs:
2. To refer to by name:
3. To make specific:
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
يُحَدِّديُحَدِّدُيُسَمّي
specifikovatuvéstzpřesnit
specificereangivebeskrive nærmere
täpsustama
täsmentää
specificirati
közelebbrõl meghatároz
tilgreina
明記する
지정하다
pabrėžtinaispecifinis
īpaši minētnorādītnosauktprecizētuzskaitīt
spresniť
natančno opredeliti
specificera
ระบุ
açıkça belirtmekbelirtmeközellikle istemek
ghi rõ

specify

[ˈspesɪfaɪ]
A. VTespecificar
in the order specifieden el orden especificado
at a specified timea una hora determinada
B. VIprecisar
he did not specifyno precisó
unless otherwise specifiedsalvo indicaciones en sentido contrario
Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

specify

[ˈspɛsɪfaɪ] vtspécifier
unless otherwise specified → sauf indication contraire
Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

specify

vtangeben; (= list individually or in detail)spezifizieren, (einzeln) aufführen; (= stipulate)vorschreiben; (blueprint, contract etc) → vorsehen; in the specified orderin der angegebenen or vorgeschriebenen Reihenfolge; a specified period of timeein bestimmter Zeitabschnitt; to specify how to do somethinggenauer or näher ausführen, wie etw gemacht werden soll
vigenaue Angaben machen; unless otherwise specifiedwenn nicht anders angegeben
Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

specify

[ˈspɛsɪˌfaɪ] vtspecificare, precisare
unless otherwise specified → salvo indicazioni contrarie
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995

specify

(ˈspesifai) verb
1. to mention particularly. He specified the main ilnesses that are caused by poverty.
2. to order specially. She ordered a cake from the baker and specified green icing.
specific (spəˈsifik) adjective
1. giving all the details clearly. specific instructions.
2. particular; exactly stated or described. Each of the bodily organs has its own specific function.
speˈcifically adverb
I specifically told you not to do that; This dictionary is intended specifically for learners of English.
Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.

specify

يُحَدِّدُ specifikovat specificere spezifizieren προσδιορίζω especificar täsmentää spécifier specificirati specificare 明記する 지정하다 specificeren spesifisere wyszczególnić especificar точно определять specificera ระบุ belirtmek ghi rõ 阐明
Multilingual Translator © HarperCollins Publishers 2009

specify

v. especificar.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
References in classic literature ?
Don Quixote, propped up against the trunk of a beech or a cork tree- for Cide Hamete does not specify what kind of tree it was- sang in this strain to the accompaniment of his own sighs:
We were then, for reasons which it is not worth while to specify, in the close neighbourhood of Kerguelen Land; and now, when I open an atlas and look at the tiny dots on the map of the Southern Ocean, I see as if engraved upon the paper the enraged physiognomy of that gale.
I was conducted at once to headquarters and taken by motor-car to a certain fortified place which I will not specify, but which was at that time the headquarters of the German Staff.
He must be deformed somewhere; he gives a strong feeling of deformity, although I couldn't specify the point.
It would be hazardous to specify his exact industry.
M'Lellan had been interrupted in a trading voyage by these ruffians of the river, and, as it is in some degree connected with circumstances hereafter to be related, we shall specify it more particularly.
As selection of a dispensing robot is sometimes a daunting task, Intertronics, a specialist adhesives and dispensing company, has compiled a short piece of guidance on how to specify a dispensing robot.
To facilitate implementation of the new regulations, Taiwan's Ministry of Labor (MOL) issued a salary slip example, saying that employers who do not specify pay for unused paid leave and overtime compensatory leave in their salary slips could face a fine ranging from NT$20,000 to NT$1 million.
PIA did not specify the brand name of the engines and would be acquiring aircraft with lowest cost to PIA.
Until final regulations are issued that specify the entities that are subject to the FATCA reporting requirements, only individuals are required to file Form 8938.
J C P Schwarz, Chambers Crossword Compiler (Chambers, 1987) points out that British crosswords alternate between checked and unchecked letters; therefore it is only necessary to specify filled-in letters 2, 4, 6 ...