ˌspesəfə̇ˈkāshən noun
( -s )
Etymology: Medieval Latin specification-, specificatio, from Late Latin specificatus + Latin -ion, -io -ion
1.
a. obsolete : the giving of a definitive or specific quality
b. : conversion of property and especially of property belonging to another into a new kind of property by labor (as in manufacture) ; also : the acquisition of title in property so produced that results under Roman, Scots, or civil law when the article cannot be reduced to its original form
2. obsolete : natural or specific character : characteristic quality
3. : the act or process of identifying or making specific through the supplying of particularizing detail : a decreasing of generality or vagueness (as of a concept) by determining or supplying characteristics that delimit a more precise applicability ; especially : the replacement of a variable in a propositional function in symbolic logic by a specific value
“the sky is blue” is obtained by specification from “ x is blue”
4. : a detailed, precise, explicit presentation (as by enumeration, description, or working drawing) of something or a plan or proposal for something: as
a. : a written statement containing a minute description or enumeration of particulars (as of charges against a public officer or of the terms of a contract) ; also : a single article, item, or particular or an allegation of a specific act
b. : a written description of an invention or discovery for which a patent is sought that embodies the manner and process of making, constructing, compounding, and using and concludes with a specific and distinct claim of the part, improvement, or combination which the applicant regards as his discovery or invention — compare claim
c. : a written or printed description of constructional work to be done (as in repairing a house or installing machinery in a factory) forming part of the contract, describing qualities of material and mode of construction, and giving dimension and other information not shown in the drawings — usually used in plural