specie

English

Pronunciation

• IPA: /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.
   • 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. (nonstandard) Singular form of species.

Usage notes

• Although in wide use, this is universally considered by prescriptive references to be an error- it's best to use the standard singular, species, instead.

Anagrams

• pieces

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Dutch

Noun

specie ? (^??? please provide the plural!, ^??? please provide the diminutive!)

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

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Italian

Wikipedia ^it

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin speciēs, speciei.

Pronunciation

• Audio (IT)

  (file)

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

Noun

speciē

1. ablative singular of species

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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