Standard Lemma guide

specification

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S P EH2 S IH0 F IH0 K EY1 SH AH0 N Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

An explicit set of requirements to be satisfied by a material, product, or service.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

Examples

  • The contractor followed the architect’s specifications.
  • Each computer is built to the customer’s exact specification.
  • The product failed to meet the required safety specifications.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

An act of specifying.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: countable, uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

a restriction that is insisted upon as a condition for an agreement

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: stipulation

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: restriction, confinement

4

noun

Meaning 4

(patent law) a document drawn up by the applicant for a patent of invention that provides an explicit and detailed description of the nature and use of an invention

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: document, written document, papers

5

noun

Meaning 5

a detailed description of design criteria for a piece of work

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: spec

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: description, verbal description

Narrower terms: computer architecture, network architecture

6

noun

Meaning 6

naming explicitly

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: naming

History

Etymology

From Middle French specification, from Medieval Latin specificationem (accusative of specificatio).

Across languages

Translations

48 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Armenian: հատկորոշում (hatkorošum) — explicit set of requirements
  • Armenian: մասնագիր (masnagir) — explicit set of requirements
  • Bulgarian: специфика́ция (specifikácija) — explicit set of requirements
  • Catalan: especificació — explicit set of requirements
  • Chinese Mandarin: 規格 /规格 (guīgé) — explicit set of requirements
  • Chinese Mandarin: 規範 /规范 (guīfàn) — explicit set of requirements
  • Czech: specifikace — explicit set of requirements
  • Dutch: specificatie — explicit set of requirements
  • Finnish: määrittely — explicit set of requirements
  • Finnish: spesifikaatio — explicit set of requirements
  • French: spécification — explicit set of requirements
  • Georgian: სპეციფიკაცია (sṗecipiḳacia) — explicit set of requirements
  • German: Spezifikation — explicit set of requirements
  • Greek: προδιαγραφή (prodiagrafí) — explicit set of requirements
  • Greek: προσδιορισμός (prosdiorismós) — explicit set of requirements
  • Hungarian: vizsgakövetelmény — explicit set of requirements
  • Hungarian: vizsgakövetelmények — explicit set of requirements
  • Indonesian: spesifikasi — explicit set of requirements
  • Italian: specificazione — explicit set of requirements
  • Italian: specifica — explicit set of requirements
  • Italian: capitolato — explicit set of requirements
  • Japanese: 仕様 (shiyō) — explicit set of requirements
  • Japanese: スペック (supekku) — explicit set of requirements
  • Korean: 사양 (sayang) — explicit set of requirements
  • Korean: 스펙 (seupek) — explicit set of requirements
  • Norwegian Bokmål: spesifikasjon — explicit set of requirements
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: spesifikasjon — explicit set of requirements
  • Polish: specyfikacja — explicit set of requirements
  • Portuguese: especificação — explicit set of requirements
  • Russian: специфика́ция (specifikácija) — explicit set of requirements
  • Slovak: špecifikácia — explicit set of requirements
  • Spanish: especificación — explicit set of requirements
  • Swedish: specifikation — explicit set of requirements
  • Turkish: şartname — explicit set of requirements
  • Ukrainian: специфіка́ція (specyfikácija) — explicit set of requirements
  • Vietnamese: quy cách — explicit set of requirements
  • Vietnamese: quy phạm — explicit set of requirements
  • Vietnamese: đặc tả — explicit set of requirements
  • Catalan: especificació — act of specifying
  • Finnish: spesifiointi — act of specifying
  • Finnish: spesifioiminen — act of specifying
  • Finnish: määrittely — act of specifying
  • French: spécification — act of specifying
  • Georgian: დაკონკრეტება (daḳonḳreṭeba) — act of specifying
  • Māori: tautuhinga — act of specifying
  • Polish: sprecyzowanie — act of specifying
  • Russian: уточне́ние (utočnénije) — act of specifying
  • Ukrainian: уто́чнення (utóčnennja) — act of specifying
Real reading context

specification in complete knowledge articles