- a detailed description of something, especially the design and materials needed to produce something
- We want the machine manufactured to our own spec.
Oxford Collocations DictionarySpec is used before these nouns:- sheet
Word Originnoun 1950s: abbreviation of specification. on spec. late 18th cent.: abbreviation of speculation.
Idioms
See spec in the Oxford Advanced American Dictionaryon spec
- (informal) when you do something on spec, you are trying to achieve something without organizing it in advance, but hoping you will be lucky
- A lot of young people apply for jobs on spec (= not in reply to an advertisement, but hoping that a job might be available).
Check pronunciation:
spec