English word specimen comes from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ-, Proto-Indo-European - -yeti, and later Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti (To be looking at, to keep looking at.)
| Dictionary entry | Language | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| *speḱ- | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | to look |
| - -yeti | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | |
| *spéḱyeti | Proto-Indo-European (ine-pro) | To be looking at, to keep looking at. |
| *spekjō | Proto-Italic (itc-pro) | To observe, to see. |
| specio | Latin (lat) | I observe, watch, look at. |
| specimen | Latin (lat) | Example, pattern, model. Mark, token, sign, indication. Ornament, honor. |
| specimen | English (eng) | (humorous, often preceded with “fine”) An eligible man.. A sample, especially one used for diagnostic analysis.. An individual instance that represents a class; an example. |