"specific" in seven languages

Meaningspecific

Spanish

específico

/espeˈθifiko/

learned

French

spécifique

/spesifik/

learned

Italian

specifico

/speˈtʃifiko/

learned

Portuguese

específico

/ispeˈsifiku/

learned

Romanian

specific

/speˈtʃifik/

borrowed · French spécifique

Catalan

específic

/əspəˈsifik/

learned

English

specific

/spəˈsɪfɪk/

from Latin/French · Late Latin SPECIFICUS (via French)

English → ItalianspecificspecificoCognateSame source — inherited, learned or borrowed. You can recognize it.What English and Italian share

The Latin ancestor

SPECIFICUM (Late Latin)‘making a kind (SPECIĒS 'kind' + FACERE)’

All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.

The story

Spanish adds its usual e- before s + consonant (específico, like escuela); French and Italian keep sp-. SPECIĒS 'kind, sort' is also the source of spice.

English relatives: species, specify; spice (from SPECIĒS)

Sound laws at work

C before E and I

Learn it

Practice the Describing words deck Quiz a friend on it

In a sentence

esEste problema requiere una solución específica.
frCe problème demande une solution spécifique.
itQuesto problema richiede una soluzione specifica.
ptEsse problema precisa de uma solução específica.
roProblema asta are nevoie de o soluție specifică.
caAquest problema necessita una solució específica.
enThis problem needs a specific solution.

More in Describing words

All Describing words words