specie (n.) Look up specie at Dictionary.com
species (n.) Look up species at Dictionary.com
late 14c. as a classification in logic, from Latin species "a particular sort, kind, or type" (opposed to genus), originally "a sight, look, view, appearance," hence also "a spectacle; mental appearance, idea, notion; a look; a pretext; a resemblance; a show or display," typically in passive senses; in Late Latin, "a special case;" related to specere "to look at, to see, behold," from PIE *spek- (see scope (n.1)). From 1550s as "appearance, outward form;" 1560s as "distinct class (of something) based on common characteristics." Biological sense is from c.1600. Endangered species first attested 1964.
speciesism (n.) Look up speciesism at Dictionary.com
"discrimination against certain animals based on assumption of human superiority," first attested 1975 in Richard D. Ryder's "Victims of Science," from species + -ism.
specific (adj.) Look up specific at Dictionary.com
1630s, "having a special quality," from French spécifique and directly from Late Latin specificus "constituting a kind or sort" (in Medieval Latin "specific, particular"), from Latin species "kind, sort" (see species). Earlier form was specifical (early 15c.). Meaning "definite, precise" first recorded 1740. Related: Specifically; specificness.
specific (n.) Look up specific at Dictionary.com
"a specific quality or detail," 1690s, from specific (adj.).
specification (n.) Look up specification at Dictionary.com
1610s, "act of investing with some quality," from Medieval Latin specificationem (nominative specificatio), noun of action from past participle stem of Late Latin specificare "mention particularly," from Latin specificus, (see specific). With Latin -ficus, unstressed comb. form of facere "to make, do." Meaning "technical particular" is attested from 1833; short form spec first attested 1956.
specificity (n.) Look up specificity at Dictionary.com
1829, from French spécificité or else a native formation from specific + -ity.
specify (v.) Look up specify at Dictionary.com
early 14c., "to speak;" mid-14c. "to name explicitly," from Old French specifier, especefier (13c.) and directly from Late Latin specificare "mention particularly," from specificus (see specific). Related: Specified; specifying.
specimen (n.) Look up specimen at Dictionary.com
1610s, "pattern, model," from Latin specimen "indication, mark, example, sign, evidence; that by which a thing is known, means of knowing," from specere "to look at" (see scope (n.1)). Meaning "single thing regarded as typical of its kind" first recorded 1650s.
specious (adj.) Look up specious at Dictionary.com
late 14c., "pleasing to the sight, fair," from Latin speciosus "good-looking, beautiful, fair," also "showy, pretended, plausible, specious," from species "appearance, form, figure, beauty" (see species). Meaning "seemingly desirable, reasonable or probable, but not really so; superficially fair, just, or correct" in English is first recorded 1610s. Related: Speciously; speciosity; speciousness.
speck (n.) Look up speck at Dictionary.com
Old English specca "small spot, stain," of unknown origin; probably related to Dutch speckel "speck, speckle," Middle Dutch spekelen "to sprinkle" (compare speckle (v.)). Meaning "tiny bit" developed c.1400. As a verb, 1570s, from the noun. Related: Specked.
speckle (v.) Look up speckle at Dictionary.com
specs (n.) Look up specs at Dictionary.com
short for spectacles, 1807.
spectacle (n.) Look up spectacle at Dictionary.com
mid-14c., "specially prepared or arranged display," from Old French spectacle "sight, spectacle, Roman games" (13c.), from Latin spectaculum "a public show, spectacle, place from which shows are seen," from spectare "to view, watch, behold," frequentative form of specere "to look at," from PIE *spek- "to observe" (see scope (n.1)).
spectacles (n.) Look up spectacles at Dictionary.com
"glass lenses to help a person's sight," early 15c., from plural of spectacle. Earlier in singular form (late 14c.).
spectacular (adj.) Look up spectacular at Dictionary.com
1680s, from Latin spectaculum "a sight, show" (see spectacle) + -ar. As a noun, first attested 1890. Related: Spectacularly.
spectate (v.) Look up spectate at Dictionary.com
"to attend (a sporting event, etc.) to watch, not participate," 1929, back-formation from spectator. Related: Spectated; spectating. Related: Spectation.
spectator (n.) Look up spectator at Dictionary.com
1580s, from Latin spectator "viewer, watcher," from past participle stem of spectare "to view, watch" (see spectacle). Spectator sport is attested from 1943. Related: Spectatorial. Fem. form spectatress (1630s) is less classically correct than spectatrix (1610s).
specter (n.) Look up specter at Dictionary.com
c.1600, "frightening ghost," from French spectre "an image, figure, ghost" (16c.), from Latin spectrum "appearance, vision, apparition" (see spectrum). Figurative sense "object of dread" is from 1774.
spectral (adj.) Look up spectral at Dictionary.com
spectre (n.) Look up spectre at Dictionary.com
chiefly British English spelling of specter (q.v.); for spelling, see -re.
spectro- Look up spectro- at Dictionary.com
spectrogram (n.) Look up spectrogram at Dictionary.com
"photograph of a spectrum," 1890, from spectro- + -gram.
spectrograph (n.) Look up spectrograph at Dictionary.com
1876, from spectro- + -graph "instrument for recording; something written." Related: Spectrographic; spectrography.
spectrometer (n.) Look up spectrometer at Dictionary.com
1863, from German Spectrometer (Moritz Meyerstein, 1863); see spectro- + -meter.
spectroscope (n.) Look up spectroscope at Dictionary.com
1861, from spectro- + -scope. A Greek-Latin hybrid, both elements from the same PIE root. Related: Spectroscopic; spectroscopy.
spectrum (n.) Look up spectrum at Dictionary.com
1610s, "apparition, specter," from Latin spectrum (plural spectra) "an appearance, image, apparition, specter," from specere "to look at, view" (see scope (n.1)). Meaning "visible band showing the successive colors, formed from a beam of light passed through a prism" first recorded 1670s. Figurative sense of "entire range (of something)" is from 1936.
specular (adj.) Look up specular at Dictionary.com
1570s, "reflective" (like a mirror), from Latin specularis, from speculum "a mirror" (see speculum). Meaning "assisting in vision; affording a view" is from 1650s, from Latin speculari "to spy" (see speculation).
speculate (v.) Look up speculate at Dictionary.com
1590s, "view mentally, contemplate" (transitive), back-formation from speculation. Also formerly "view as from a watchtower" (1610s). Intransitive sense of "pursue truth by conjecture or thinking" is from 1670s. Meaning "to invest money upon risk for the sake of profit" is from 1785. Related: Speculated; speculating.
speculation (n.) Look up speculation at Dictionary.com

speculative (adj.) Look up speculative at Dictionary.com
late 14c., "contemplative," also "purely scientific, in theory only" (opposed to practical), from Old French speculatif "worth great attention; theoretical," or directly from Late Latin speculativus, from past participle stem of speculari (see speculation). Meaning "given to (financial) speculation" is from 1763. Related: Speculatively.
speculator (n.) Look up speculator at Dictionary.com
1550s, "one who engages in mental speculation," from Latin speculator "a looker-out, spy, scout, explorer; investigator, examiner," agent noun from speculari (see speculation). The financial sense is from 1778. Formerly also "observer, onlooker," especially "an occult seer" (1650s). Fem. form speculatrix attested from 1610s. Related: Speculatory.
speculum (n.) Look up speculum at Dictionary.com
1590s, in surgery and medicine, "instrument for rendering a part accessible to observation," from Latin speculum "reflector, looking-glass, mirror" (also "a copy, an imitation"), from specere "to look at, view" (see scope (n.1)). As a type of telescope attachment from 1704.
sped Look up sped at Dictionary.com
past tense and past participle of speed (v.); Old English spedde.
speech (n.) Look up speech at Dictionary.com
Old English spæc "act of speaking; power of speaking; manner of speaking; statement, discourse, narrative, formal utterance; language," variant of spræc, from Proto-Germanic *sprek-, *spek- (cognates: Danish sprog, Old Saxon spraca, Old Frisian spreke, Dutch spraak, Old High German sprahha, German Sprache "speech;" see speak (v.))

And I honor the man who is willing to sink
Half his present repute for the freedom to think,
Will risk t' other half for the freedom to speak,
Caring naught for what vengeance the mob has in store,
Let that mob be the upper ten thousand or lower.

speechify (v.) Look up speechify at Dictionary.com
"talk in a pompous, pontifical way," 1723, from speech + -ify. Related: Speechifying; speechification.
speechless (adj.) Look up speechless at Dictionary.com
Old English spæcleas "permanently mute;" see speech + -less. Meaning "mute by effect of astonishment" is from late 14c. Related: Speechlessly; speechlessness.
speed (n.) Look up speed at Dictionary.com


speed (v.) Look up speed at Dictionary.com
speed-trap (n.) Look up speed-trap at Dictionary.com
1908, from speed (n.) + trap (n.).
speeder (n.) Look up speeder at Dictionary.com
"one who drives fast," 1891, agent noun from speed (v.).
speeding (n.) Look up speeding at Dictionary.com
c.1300, "success;" c.1400 "action of aiding;" verbal noun from speed (v.). Meaning "action of driving an automobile too fast" is from 1908. Speeding ticket is from 1940.
Speedo Look up Speedo at Dictionary.com
trademark name of a brand of swimwear, 1928, originally made by McRae Hosiery Manufacturers, Australia. From speed.
speedometer (n.) Look up speedometer at Dictionary.com
1904, from speed + -meter. A Germanic-Greek hybrid and thus much execrated.
[T]he ancient Greeks & Romans knew what speed was, & yet no-one supposes they called it speed, whence it follows that speedo- & speedometer are barbarisms. [Fowler]
The correct classical formation is tachometer.
speedway (n.) Look up speedway at Dictionary.com
1892, American English, from speed (n.) + way (n.).
speedy (adj.) Look up speedy at Dictionary.com
Old English spedig "prosperous, wealthy," from speed (n.) + -y (2). Meaning "moving swiftly" is from late 14c. Related: Speedily; speediness. Speedy Gonzales, Warner Brothers studios talking cartoon mouse, debuted in a 1953 short directed by Bob McKimson.
spell (v.1) Look up spell at Dictionary.com
early 14c., "read letter by letter, write or say the letters of;" c.1400, "form words by means of letters," apparently a French word that merged with or displaced a native Old English one; both are from the same Germanic root, but the French word had evolved a different sense. The native word is Old English spellian "to tell, speak, discourse, talk," from Proto-Germanic *spellam (cognates: Old High German spellon "to tell," Old Norse spjalla, Gothic spillon "to talk, tell"), from PIE *spel- (2) "to say aloud, recite."

But the current senses seem to come from Anglo-French espeller, Old French espelir "mean, signify, explain, interpret," also "spell out letters, pronounce, recite," from Frankish *spellon "to tell" or some other Germanic source, ultimately identical with the native word.

Related: Spelled; spelling. In early Middle English still "to speak, preach, talk, tell," hence such expressions as hear spell "hear (something) told or talked about," spell the wind "talk in vain" (both 15c.). Meaning "form words with proper letters" is from 1580s. Spell out "explain step-by-step" is first recorded 1940, American English. Shakespeare has spell (someone) backwards "reverse the character of, explain in a contrary sense, portray with determined negativity."
spell (n.1) Look up spell at Dictionary.com
spell (v.2) Look up spell at Dictionary.com
spell (n.2) Look up spell at Dictionary.com