specimen (spesimen)

[= F. spécimen = Sp. especimen, The best specimens of the Attic coinage give a weight of 4.366 grammes (67.38+ grains Troy) for the drachma. Trans. Amer. Philol . A ., XVI. 117. Curzola is a perfect specimen of a Venetian town. E. A. Freeman, Venice, p. 205. The leaf sculpture of the door jambs of the Cathedral of Florence affords specimens of the best Italian work of this sort [fourteenth century]. C. H. Moore, Gothic Architecture, p. 296. 2. In zoöl . and bot . , an individual animal or IMG:content-1671.png:[blocks in formation] or showy; appearing beautiful or charming; 2. Of fruit, specifically, to mark with a discol- sightly; beautiful. [Archaic.] ored spot denoting decay or rot: usually in the past participle. The rest, far greater part, Will deem in outward rites and specious forms Religion satisfied. Milton , P. L., xii. 534. IMG:content-1672.png:[ocr errors][merged small][merged small] A brief yet specious tale, how I had wasted The sum in secret riot. Shelley, The Cenci, iii. 1. 3. Appearing actual, or in reality; actually existing; not imaginary. [Rare.] Let me sum up, now, by saying that we are constantly conscious of a certain duration - the specious present varying in length from a few seconds to probably not more than a minute, and that this duration (with its content perceived as having one part earlier and the other part later) is the original intuition of time. W. James, Prin. of Psychol., I. 642. It seemed as if the whole fortune or failure of her shop might depend on the display of a different set of articles, or substituting a fairer apple for one which appeared to be specked . Hawthorne , Seven Gables, iii. speck2 (spek), n. [Prop. * spick (the form speck being dial., and in part due to D. or G.); early mod. E. spycke, Adue good Cheese and Oynons, stuffe thy guts With Specke and Barley-pudding for digestion. Heywood, English Traveller, i. 2. Speck [in Pennsylvania] is the hybrid offspring of English pronunciation and German Speck (pronounced schpeck), the generic term applied to all kinds of fat meat. Trans. Amer . Philol . A ., XVII, App., p. xii. arithmetic, algebra: so called by old writers following Viete. The phrase implies that algebra is computation by means of species, or letters denoting quantities; but the choice of the name was probably influenced by the beauty of algebraic proce es. - Specious logistic. See logistic. =Syn. 2. Colorable, Plausible, etc. See ostensible. speciously (spē'shus-li), adv. In a specious manner; with an appearance of fairne or of reality; with show of right: as, to reason spe ciously. My dear A nacre on, you reason speciously, which is better in most cases than reasoning soundly; for many are led by it and none offended. Landor , Imag. Conv., A nacre on and Poly crates. speciousne (spē'shus-nes), n. The state or quality of being specious; plausible appearance; fair external show: as, the speciousne of an argument. His theory owes its speciousne to packing, and to packing alone. Macaulay, Sadler's Refutation Refuted. [ specke , spekke , n . specca (pl. speccan ), a spot, speck (also in comp. spec - faag , specked, spotted); cf. LG. spaken , spot with wet, spakig , spotted with wet; MD. spicken , spit, spickelen , spot, speckle: see speckle .] 1. A very small superficial spot or stain; a small dot, blot, blotch, or patch cooked together: an old-fashioned Dutch dish. Bartlett. speck-block (spek'blok), n. In whaling, a block through which a speck-fall is rove. speck-fall (spek'fal), n. [ She curiously examined.. the peculiar speckle of its plumage. Hawthorne , Seven Gables, x. 2. Color; hence, kind; sort. [Scotch.] As ye well ken,... "the wauges o' sin is deith." But, maistly, sinners get first wauges o' an it her speckle frae the maister o' them. G. Mac donald , Warlock o' Glen warlock, xii. speckle (spek'l), v. t.; pret. and pp. speckled, ppr. speckling. [ Seeing Atys, straight he [the boar] rushed at him, Speckled with foam, bleeding in flank and limb. William Morris, Earthly Paradise, I. 348. served for scientific examination; an example of a species or other group; a preparation: as, a specimen of natural history; a specimen of the dog or the rose. Abbreviated sp. and spec.-3. A typical individual; one serving as a specially striking or exaggerated example of the kind indicated. [Jocose and colloq.] There were some curious specimens among my visitors. Thoreau, Walden, p. 163. =Syn. Specimen, Sample. A specimen is a part of a larger whole employed to exhibit the nature or kind of that of which it forms a part, without reference to the relative quality of individual portions; thus, a cabinet of mineralogical specimens exhibits the nature of the rocks from which they are broken. A sample is a part taken out of a quantity, and implies that the quality of the whole is to be of mold on paper; fly- specks on a wall. He was wonderfully careful that his shoes and clothes should be without the least speck upon them. Steele, Tatler, No. 48. 2. In fruit, specifically, a minute spot denoting the beginning of decay; a pit or spot of rot or rottenne ; hence, sometimes, a fruit affected by rot. The shrivelled, dwarfish, or damaged fruit, called by the street traders the specks . Mayhew , London Labour and London Poor, I. 117. The little rift within the lover's lute, Or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit, That rotting inward slowly moulders all. Tennyson, Merlin and Vivien (song). ology. [ speciological (spēshi-o-loj'i-kal), a. ciolog - y + -ic - al.] Of or pertaining to spec i spec i ology (spē-shi-ol'ō-ji), n. [ speciosity (spē-shi-os'i-ti), n.; pl. speciosities (-tiz). [OF. speciosité = Sp. especiosidad = Pg. especiosidade = It. speziosità, So great a glory as all the speciosities of the world could not equalise. Dr. H. More, On Godline , III. vi. § 5. ( Encyc . Dict.) 2. The state of being specious or plausible; a specious show; a specious person or thing. [Rare.] IMG:content-1673.png:[blocks in formation] But Robin did on the old mans cloake, And it was torn in the necke; "Now by my faith," said William Scarlett, "Heere shold be set a specke ." 4. Something appearing as a spot or patch; a Robin Hood and the Old Man (Child's Ballads, V. 258). small piece spread out: as, a speck of snow or of cloud. Come forth under the speck of open sky. Hawthorne, Seven Gables, vi. 5. A distinct or separate piece or particle; a very little bit; an atom; a mite: as, specks of dust; a speck of snuff or of soot; hence, the smallest quantity; the least morsel: as, he has not a speck of humor or of generosity. The bottom consisting of gray sand with black specks . Anson, Voyages, ii. 7. Still wrong bred wrong within her, day by day Some little speck of kindne fell away. William Morris, Earthly Paradise, II. 326. 6. A percoid fish, Ulocentra stigmæa of Jordan, common in ponds of the hill-country from Georgia to Louisiana. It is a darter, 24 inches long, of an olivaceous color, speckled with small orange spots, and otherwise variegated.-7. A speck-moth. speck1 (spek), v. t. [ Each flower of slender stalk, whose head, though gay Carnation, purple, azure, or speck'd with gold, Hung drooping unsustain'd. Milton , P. L., ix. 429. American white-fronted goose, Anser albifrons gambeli: so called in California because the under parts are whitish, blotched and patched with black. Also called harlequin brant, speckled brant. See cut under laughing -goose.-2. The gadwall, or gray duck, Chaulelasmus streperus. See cut under Chaulelasmus. G. Trumbull, 1888. [Long Island.] -3. A trout or char, as the common brook-trout of the United States, Sal velinus fontinalis. See cut under char4. speckled (spek'ld), p. a. [ I will pa through all thy flock to day, removing from thence all the speckled and spotted cattle, and all the brown cattle among the sheep, and the spotted and speckled among the goats: and of such shall be my hire. Gen. xxx. 32. Ouer the body they haue built a Tombe of speckled stone, a brace and halfe high. Purchas , Pilgrimage, p. 271. 2. Variegated in appearance or character; diversified; motley; piebald: as, a speckled company. [Colloq.] It was a singularly freaked and speckled group. S. Judd, Margaret, i. 10. Speckled alder. See alder1, 1.- Speckled beauty. (a) A trout: a trite cant phrase. (b) A British geometrid moth, Cleora viduaria. - Speckled-bill, the speckled-billed coot, or spectacle-coot; the surf-duck, Edemia per spic ill at a. [New Eng.]- Speckled brant. Same as speckle - belly, 1. --Speckled footman, a British bombycid moth, Eulepia cribrum. Speckled leech, Hirudo or Sanguisuga med i cinalis, one of the forms of medicinal leech. - Speckled loon. See loon2. - Speckled terrapin. See terrapin. -Speckled trout, a speckle-belly; the brook-trout.Speckled wood, palmyra-wood cut transversely into veneers, and showing the ends of dark fibers mixed with lighter wood. - Speckled yellow, a British geometrid moth, Venilia maculata.