specimen
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
a single plant, animal, or object that is used as an example of its whole group for study.
an individual animal, plant, or mineral used as an example of its species or type for scientific study or display.
Simple“The museum has a perfect specimen of a rare butterfly from the Amazon.”
In context“The botanist spent years searching for a well-preserved specimen of the orchid to include in the university's permanent collection.”
UsageOften used with 'of' to specify the category being represented.
- 02 B2 Upper Intermediate
a small amount of something from your body, like blood or urine, that a doctor tests.
a sample of bodily fluid or tissue taken for diagnostic or analytical testing.
Simple“The nurse asked the patient to provide a urine specimen for the lab.”
In context“The laboratory required a fresh blood specimen to ensure the accuracy of the chemical analysis.”
UsageCommonly used in clinical and hospital settings.
- 03 C1 Advanced
a person who has a very specific physical appearance or character.
an individual person viewed as having particular physical or personality traits, often used with an adjective.
Simple“The athlete was a fine physical specimen, tall and very strong.”
In context“He was a curious specimen of a man, always wearing a heavy wool coat even in the middle of a heatwave.”
Teacher's tipThis sense is often used ironically or to describe someone's physical fitness.
Synonyms
“Photograph: Jim Wileman/The Guardian Lyme Regis Museum was aware of Moore’s collection and considered it among the best private collections from the Lower Lias of Dorset, containing several unique specimens.”
“It is the first confirmed example of this part of the skull in a Japanese mosasaur specimen.”
From Latin specimen (“mark, sign, example”), from speciō (“observe, watch”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.