| / English Dictionary |
SPECIFIC
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
A medicine that has a mitigating effect on a specific disease
Example:
quinine is a specific for malaria
Classified under:
Nouns denoting man-made objects
Hypernyms ("specific" is a kind of...):
medicament; medication; medicinal drug; medicine ((medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease)
Sense 2
Meaning:
A fact about some part (as opposed to general)
Example:
he always reasons from the particular to the general
Synonyms:
particular; specific
Classified under:
Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents
Hypernyms ("specific" is a kind of...):
fact (a piece of information about circumstances that exist or events that have occurred)
Antonym:
general (a fact about the whole (as opposed to particular))
II. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Stated explicitly or in detail
Example:
needed a specific amount
Classified under:
Similar:
specified (clearly and explicitly stated)
Derivation:
specificity (the quality of being specific rather than general)
Sense 2
Meaning:
(sometimes followed by 'to') applying to or characterized by or distinguishing something particular or special or unique
Example:
a specific and detailed account of the accident
Classified under:
Similar:
ad hoc (for or concerned with one specific purpose)
circumstantial (fully detailed and specific about particulars)
limited; special (having a specific function or scope)
particular; peculiar; special (unique or specific to a person or thing or category)
particular (separate and distinct from others of the same group or category)
particularised; particularized (directed toward a specific object)
proper (limited to the thing specified)
unique ((followed by 'to') applying exclusively to a given category or condition or locality)
Also:
precise (sharply exact or accurate or delimited)
specialised; specialized (developed or designed for a special activity or function)
Attribute:
generality (the quality of being general or widespread or having general applicability)
Antonym:
general (applying to all or most members of a category or group)
nonspecific (not caused by a specific agent; used also of staining in making microscope slides)
Sense 3
Meaning:
Being or affecting a disease produced by a particular microorganism or condition; used also of stains or dyes used in making microscope slides
Example:
a specific stain is one having a specific affinity for particular structural elements
Classified under:
Adjectives
Domain category:
medical specialty; medicine (the branches of medical science that deal with nonsurgical techniques)
pathology (the branch of medical science that studies the causes and nature and effects of diseases)
Antonym:
nonspecific (not caused by a specific agent; used also of staining in making microscope slides)
Sense 4
Meaning:
Relating to or distinguishing or constituting a taxonomic species
Example:
specific characters
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Pertainym:
species ((biology) taxonomic group whose members can interbreed)
Context examples:
Acupuncture needles are inserted through the skin at specific points on the body to control pain and other symptoms.
(Acupuncture needle, NCI Dictionary)
A person trained in acupuncture (therapy that uses thin needles inserted through the skin at specific points on the body to control pain and other symptoms).
(Acupuncturist, NCI Dictionary)
In acute myeloid leukemia (AML), there are too many of a specific type of white blood cell called a myeloblast.
(Acute Myeloid Leukemia, NIH: National Cancer Institute)
A rare acute leukemia of ambiguous lineage in which the blasts do not express markers specific to myeloid or lymphoid lineage.
(Acute Undifferentiated Leukemia, NCI Thesaurus)
In acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL), also called acute lymphoblastic leukemia, there are too many of specific types of white blood cells called lymphocytes or lymphoblasts.
(Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia, NIH: National Cancer Institute)
An immune cell such as a T or B lymphocyte that responds to a single, specific antigen.
(Activated Lymphocyte, NCI Dictionary)
Acquisition protocols may be specific to a manufacturer's product.
(Acquisition Protocol, NCI Thesaurus/DICOM)
The sarcomatous component contains a malignant spindle cell proliferation or specific mesenchymal elements including osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, and leiomyosarcoma.
(Acinar Prostate Adenocarcinoma, Sarcomatoid Variant, NCI Thesaurus)
An indicator of the end of the medical history event in relation to a specific point in time.
(Medical History End Relative to Reference Time Point, NCI Thesaurus)
A mature lymphocyte whose T cell receptor, a gamma polypeptide chain linked by a disulfide bridge to a delta polypeptide chain, has recognized specific foreign antigens and self MHC antigens.
(Activated Mature Gamma/Delta T-Lymphocyte with a Cytotoxic Phenotype, NCI Thesaurus)
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