Unspecified

How to spell unspecified

11 letters · 4 syllables

How to pronounce unspecified

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does unspecified mean?

1. adjectiveNot stated, named, or described in detail; left undefined.

Unspecified in a sentence

• The contract was cancelled for unspecified reasons.

• The parcel arrived from an unspecified sender in another country.

Where does unspecified come from?

Language of origin: Latin

This word is built on the verb 'specify', which English borrowed in the 1300s from the Old French specifier, itself from the Late Latin specificare, meaning 'to mention particularly' or 'to name in detail'. That Latin verb grew from specificus, 'of a particular kind', formed from species, meaning 'a kind, sort, or appearance', and the root facere, 'to make'. The negative prefix 'un-', a native English element meaning 'not', was attached to the past participle 'specified' to give the sense 'not stated in detail'. The same species root underlies the everyday words 'special' and 'species', which is a useful reminder that the middle of the word is spelled with a 'c', not an 's', even though both letters sound identical here.

How the word is built

• un- (not)
• specif- (from Latin specificus: of a particular kind)
• -ied (adjectival past-participle ending)