different between specific vs determinate

English

Alternative forms

• specifick (obsolete)

Etymology

From Old French specifique, from Late Latin specificus (“specific, particular”), from Latin speci?s (“kind”) + faci? (“make”).

Pronunciation

• (General American, UK) IPA^(key): /sp??s?f.?k/, /sp??s?f.?k/
• Rhymes: -?f?k
• Hyphenation: spe?cif?ic

Adjective

specific (comparative more specific, superlative most specific)

1. explicit or definite
2. (sciences) pertaining to a species
   • 2008, Richard Dawkins, The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing, Oxford 2009, p. 3:

     Science and literature, then, are the two achievements of Homo sapiens that most convincingly justify the specific name.

3. (taxonomy) pertaining to a taxon at the rank of species
4. special, distinctive or unique
5. intended for, or applying to, a particular thing
6. Serving to identify a particular thing (often a disease or condition), with little risk of mistaking something else for it.

   a highly specific test, specific and nonspecific symptoms

7. being a remedy for a particular disease

   Quinine is a specific medicine in cases of malaria.
8. (immunology) limited to a particular antibody or antigen
9. (physics) of a value divided by mass (e.g. specific orbital energy)
10. (physics) similarly referring to a value divided by any measure which acts to standardize it (e.g. thrust specific fuel consumption, referring to fuel consumption divided by thrust)
11. (physics) a measure compared with a standard reference value by division, to produce a ratio without unit or dimension (e.g. specific refractive index is a pure number, and is relative to that of air)

Synonyms

• (explicit, definite): express, monosemous, unambiguous; see also Thesaurus:explicit
• (special, distinctive or unique): singular; see also Thesaurus:unique
• (intended for a particular thing): peculiar, singular; see also Thesaurus:specific

Antonyms

• unspecific, nonspecific
• (intended for a particular thing): broad, general, generic, universal; see also Thesaurus:generic

Hyponyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

• generic

Noun

specific (plural specifics)

1. A distinguishing attribute or quality.
2. A remedy for a specific disease or condition.
   • 1968, Charles Portis, True Grit:

     I had no unreasonable fear of bats, […] yet I knew them too for carriers of the dread “Hydrophobia,” for which there was no specific.

3. Specification
4. (in the plural) The details; particulars.

Further reading

• specific in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• specific in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.
• specific at OneLook Dictionary Search

Romanian

Etymology

From French spécifique.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /spe?t??i.fik/

Adjective

specific m or n (feminine singular specific?, masculine plural specifici, feminine and neuter plural specifice)

1. specific

   Antonym: nespecific

Declension

Related terms

• specificitate

English

Pronunciation

• (adjective, noun) (UK) IPA^(key): /d??t??m?n?t/
• (verb) (UK) IPA^(key): /d??t??m?ne?t/

Etymology 1

From Middle English determinate, determynat, determinat, from Latin d?termin?tus, perfect passive participle of d?termin? (“I limit, set bounds”).

Adjective

determinate (not comparable)

1. Distinct, clearly defined. [from 14th c.]
   • c. 1668, John Dryden, Essay of Dramatick Poesie

     Quantity of words and a determinate number of feet.

   • 1938, Xavier Herbert, Capricornia, Chapter VIII, p. 122, [1]

     […] on account of his responsibility to Norman and Marigold, and on account of his now determinate age, he considered himself ineligible for more dangerous service.

2. Fixed, set, unvarying. [from 16th c.]
   • 1526, William Tyndale, trans. Bible, Acts II:

     hym have ye taken by the hondes of unrightewes persones, after he was delivered by the determinat counsell and foreknowledge of God, and have crucified and slayne hym [...].

   • 1796–7, Mary Wollstonecraft, The Wrongs of Woman, Oxford 2009, p. 107:

     [S]he watched impatiently for the dawn of day, with that determinate purpose which generally insures success.

3. (biology) Of growth: ending once a genetically predetermined structure has formed.
4. Conclusive; decisive; positive.
5. (obsolete) Determined or resolved upon.
6. Of determined purpose; resolute.

   • More determinate to do than skilfull how to do.

Antonyms

• (limited): indeterminate, nondeterminate
• (biology): indeterminate

Derived terms

• determinateness

Related terms

• determinacy
• determination
• determine
• deterministic

Translations

Noun

determinate (plural determinates)

1. (philosophy) A single state of a particular determinable attribute.

Etymology 2

From Middle English determinaten, from the adjective (see above).

Verb

determinate (third-person singular simple present determinates, present participle determinating, simple past and past participle determinated)

1. (obsolete) To bring to an end; to determine.

Esperanto

Adverb

determinate

1. present adverbial passive participle of determini

Italian

Adjective

determinate f pl

1. feminine plural of determinato

Anagrams

• demeritante

Latin

Verb

d?termin?te

1. second-person plural present active imperative of d?termin?