to say or describe something in an exact and detailed way
Please specify the size and color when you place your order.
During the interview, she failed to specify the exact dates of her employment.
✦ Late Middle English from Old French spécifier, from late Latin specificare ‘mention particularly’.
to state officially in a document or rule that something must be done or must have a particular quality
The contract specifies that payment is due within 30 days.
Building codes specify the minimum distance between houses.
✦ Same origin as general sense: from late Latin specificare ‘mention particularly’.
to choose or set a particular value, file, or option in a computer program or command
You must specify the file path when saving the document.
The user can specify a password of up to 16 characters.
✦ Extension of the general sense to computing in the mid-20th century.
