espécimen
Lemma Details
Translation: specimen; sample; example
Part of Speech: noun
Etymology: Derived from Latin 'specimen' meaning 'indication, mark, example', which comes from 'specere' meaning 'to look at, observe'. The English cognate 'specimen' shares the same Latin root. The word entered Spanish through scientific terminology in the 18th century, maintaining its original meaning of a representative sample or example used for scientific study.
Commonality: 40%
Guessability: 90%
Register: formal, scientific
Example Usage
El museo tiene un espécimen raro de mariposa.
The museum has a rare butterfly specimen.
Necesitamos recoger especímenes de plantas para el estudio.
We need to collect plant specimens for the study.
El médico pidió un espécimen de sangre para el análisis.
The doctor requested a blood specimen for analysis.
Mnemonics
- Think of a museum 'specimen' - it's the same word in English with just a Spanish accent mark.
- ESP-écimen - ESP can remind you of 'especial' (special) - a specimen is often a special example of something.
Related Words, Phrases & Idioms
Antonyms
Cultural Context
Primarily used in scientific, medical, and academic contexts in Spanish. While the word is understood by educated Spanish speakers, it's less common in everyday conversation where terms like 'muestra' might be preferred.
Easily Confused With
Explanation: While 'espécimen' refers to an individual sample or example, 'especie' means 'species' (a biological classification) or 'kind/type' in general contexts.
Notes: In scientific contexts, an 'espécimen' is an individual representative of an 'especie'.
Mnemonic: 'Espécimen' ends with '-men' like 'specimen' in English, while 'especie' ends with '-cie' like 'species'.
Explanation: 'Espécimen' is a physical sample often used in scientific contexts, while 'ejemplo' is a more general term for 'example' used in everyday language.
Confused word:
Te daré un ejemplo de cómo resolver este problema.
I'll give you an example of how to solve this problem.
Notes: 'Espécimen' is more formal and technical, while 'ejemplo' is more common in everyday speech.
Mnemonic: Think of 'espécimen' for scientific samples you can touch, and 'ejemplo' for examples you can explain.