spec·i·fy  (sp ĕs ə-f ī′)
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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.]
speci·fi′er n. |
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition copyright ©2020 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Indo-European & Semitic Roots Appendices
Thousands of entries in the dictionary include etymologies that trace their origins back to reconstructed proto-languages. You can obtain more information about these forms in our online appendices:
Indo-European Roots
Semitic Roots
The Indo-European appendix covers nearly half of the Indo-European roots that have left their mark on English words. A more complete treatment of Indo-European roots and the English words derived from them is available in our Dictionary of Indo-European Roots.
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