specie

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈspiːʃi/

Etymology 1

Originally in the phrase in specie; from Latin speciē, ablative singular of species. Compare payment in kind.

Noun

specie (uncountable)

1. Type or kind, in various uses of the phrase in specie.
2. Money, especially in the form of coins made from precious metal, that has an intrinsic value; coinage.
   • 1830, Joseph Plumb Martin, A Narrative of Some of the Adventures, Dangers and Sufferings of a Revolutionary Soldier, Ch. IX:

     I received one month's pay in specie while on the march to Virginia, in the year 1781, and except that, I never received any pay worth the name while I belonged to the army.

   • 1982, Lawrence Durrell, Constance, Faber & Faber 2004 (Avignon Quintet), p. 805:

     ‘It was not money or specie he thought himself hunting!’

   • 2006, Thomas Pynchon, Against the Day, Vintage 2007, p. 8:

     “Dick” Counterfly had absquatulated swiftly into the night, leaving his son with only a pocketful of specie and the tender admonition, “Got to ‘scram,’ kid — write if you get work.”

Translations

money

• Catalan: espècie (ca) f

• Finnish: raha (fi)

See also

• payment in kind

Etymology 2

back-formation from species (plural), the final "s" being misinterpreted as a plural ending.

Noun

specie

1. (proscribed) singular of species

Usage notes

• Although in wide use, this is universally considered by prescriptive references to be an error.

Anagrams

• pieces

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• Audio

  (file)

• Hyphenation: spe‧cie

Noun

specie f (plural speciën or species)

1. mortar (in sense of mixture of lime or cement, sand and water)

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin speciēs.

Pronunciation

• Audio (IT)

  (file)

Adverb

specie

1. especially, particularly

   Nonostante la sua abilità, Clemens ha avuto poca fama, specie tra i suoi contemporanei.

   Despite his ability, Clemens had little fame, particularly among his contemporaries.

Derived terms

• fare specie (amaze, shock)

Noun

specie f (invariable)

1. kind, type, sort
2. (biology) species, strain, breed
3. (taxonomy) species

Related terms

• speciale
• speciazione
• specifico

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Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /ˈspe.ki.eː/, [ˈspɛ.ki.eː]

Noun

speciē

1. ablative singular of speciēs

Preposition

speciē

1. Under the pretext of. Under the guise of.

References

• “specie” in Félix Gaffiot’s Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Hachette (1934)
• Carl Meissner; Henry William Auden (1894) Latin Phrase-Book^[1], London: Macmillan and Co.
  • (ambiguous) in truth; really: re (vera), reapse (opp. specie)
    
  • (ambiguous) apparently; to look at: specie (De Amic. 13. 47)
    

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Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin speciēs.

Noun

specie f (plural specii)

1. (biology) species
2. kind, type, sort

See also

• gen
• tip
• fel