See also: non-specific

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From non- +‎ specific.

Adjective

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nonspecific (not comparable)

  1. Not specific or precise, as:
    1. (medicine, of a symptom or other finding) Not specific to one possible cause; caused by any of various possible causes.
      Antonym: pathognomonic
      Coordinate term: assident
      See also: nonspecific symptom, specificity
    2. (medicine, of an antimicrobial) Not specific to one pathogen; affecting multiple strains or species of pathogen.
      Hypernym: broad-spectrum
    3. (medicine, of an infection) Not known to be caused by any specific pathogen.
      Coordinate terms: cryptogenic, nonfocal
    4. (medicine, of a person's immunity) Not caused by previous infection or vaccination, and/or affecting more than one antigen.
      Coordinate term: crossreactive
    5. (medicine, of a stain in microscopy) That does not just stain one type of tissue.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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