From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishspecimenspe‧ci‧men /ˈspesɪmɪn/ ●○○ noun [countable] 1 HBMHa small amount or piece that is taken from something, so that it can be tested or examined a blood specimenspecimen of a specimen of rock2 EXAMPLEa single example of something, often an animal or plantspecimen of a very fine specimen of 12th-century glass3 PERSON/PEOPLEa person you are describing in a particular way – used humorously Her boyfriend is an impressive physical specimen.
Examples from the Corpus
specimen• A 24-or 72-hour fecal specimen should be collected; the latter being the specimen of choice.• a very fine specimen of 12th century glass• Therefore it is an easy but hardy specimen to grow in the aquarium.• ET-1-like immunoreactivity and mRNA were also present in pulmonary vascular endothelial cells, particularly in specimens from patients with pulmonary hypertension.• The pool is clear and still, filled with perfect specimens.• Johnston is a 6-foot-2,242-pound specimen from Syracuse University.• Here is a black middle-class man speaking: Professional blacks are treated as rare specimens by most of their white colleagues.• Small specimens do fairly well in tanks, but they are not among the most hardy aquarium fishes.• The oral shields are large and arrow shaped but in some specimens the shield may be more rounded.• He had preserved of the specimens and still took them out now and then to look at them.From Longman Business Dictionaryspecimenspe‧ci‧men /ˈspesɪmɪn/ adjective [only before a noun] provided as a typical example of somethinga specimen letterWhen you open an account with us you will be asked to provide a specimen signature. —specimen noun [countable]This specimen sets out the way a formal valuation report must be written.Origin specimen (1600-1700) Latin specere “to look (at)” 