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Specific vs Determinate - What's the difference?

specific | determinate |

As adjectives the difference between specific and determinate

is that specific is explicit or definite while determinate is distinct, clearly defined.

As nouns the difference between specific and determinate

is that specific is a distinguishing attribute or quality while determinate is a single state of a particular determinable attribute.

As a verb determinate is

to bring to an end; to determine.

specific

English

Alternative forms

* specifick (obsolete)

Adjective

(en adjective)
  • explicit or definite
  • (sciences) Pertaining to a species.
  • *2008 , (Richard Dawkins), The Oxford Book of Modern Science Writing , Oxford 2009, p. 3:
  • *:Science and literature, then, are the two achievements of Homo sapiens that most convincingly justify the specific name.
  • (taxonomy) pertaining to a taxon at the rank of species
  • special, distinctive or unique
  • intended for, or applying to a particular thing
  • being a remedy for a particular disease
    • Quinine is a specific medicine in cases of malaria.
  • * Coleridge
    • In fact, all medicines will be found specific in the perfection of the science.
  • (immunology) limited to a particular antibody or antigen
  • (physics) of a value divided by mass (e.g. specific orbital energy)
  • (physics) similarly referring to a value divided by any measure which acts to standardize it (e.g. thrust specific fuel consumption, referring to fuel consumption divided by thrust)
  • (physics) a measure compared with a standard reference value by division, to produce a ratio without unit or dimension (e.g. specific refractive index is a pure number, and is relative to that of air)

    • Antonyms

    * all-purpose * broad * general * general-purpose * generic * gross * nonspecific * overall * pandemic * universal * unspecific * widespread

    Derived terms

    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

    See also

    * generic

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A distinguishing attribute or quality.
  • Something particularly adapted for a particular use, as a remedy for a particular disorder
  • Specification
  • (in the plural) The details; particulars.

    • Derived terms

    *

    External links

    * * * ----

    determinate

    English

    Adjective

    (-)
  • Distinct, clearly defined.
  • * Dryden
    • Quantity of words and a determinate number of feet.
  • Fixed, set, unvarying.
  • * 1526 , (William Tyndale), trans. Bible , Acts II:
    • hym have ye taken by the hondes of unrightewes persones, after he was delivered by the determinat counsell and foreknowledge of God, and have crucified and slayne hym [...].
  • (biology) Of growth: ending once a genetically predetermined structure has formed.
  • conclusive; decisive; positive
  • * Bible, Acts ii. 23
    • The determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God.
  • (obsolete) Determined or resolved upon.
  • * Shakespeare
    • My determinate voyage.
  • Of determined purpose; resolute.
  • * Sir Philip Sidney
    • More determinate to do than skillful how to do.

    Antonyms

    * (limited) indeterminate, nondeterminate * (biology) indeterminate

    Derived terms

    * determinateness

    Related terms

    * determinacy * determination * determine * deterministic

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • (philosophy) A single state of a particular determinable attribute.
  • * {{quote-journal, 2007, date=September 5, David Denby, Generating possibilities, Philosophical Studies, url=, doi=10.1007/s11098-007-9159-z, volume=141, issue=2, pages=
    • , passage=And since being negatively-charged and being positively-charged are determinates of the same determinable, [D5] will not permit us to infer worlds where anything negatively-charged is also positively-charged. }}

    Verb

    (determinat)
  • (obsolete) To bring to an end; to determine.
  • * Shakespeare
    • The sly, slow hours shall not determinate / The dateless limit of thy dear exile.
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