an example regarded as typical of its class
"The museum curator selected a rare blue morpho butterfly as a perfect specimen of that species to display in the exhibit."
a bit of tissue or blood or urine that is taken for diagnostic purposes
"they collected a urine specimen for urinalysis"
An individual instance that represents a class; an example.
"The museum displayed a rare specimen of prehistoric insects alongside modern ones to show evolutionary changes."
A banknote printed for distribution to central banks to aid in the recognition of banknotes from a country other than their own
"The Federal Reserve received several foreign currency specimens from the International Monetary Fund to help staff identify potentially counterfeit notes."
In plain English: A specimen is an example of something that scientists collect to study its features.
"The scientist examined each plant specimen under a microscope to identify its species."
Usage: Use specimen when referring to a representative sample or model, such as a biological subject or a prototype document like a foreign currency note for identification purposes. Avoid confusing it with the verb "specify," which means to state details clearly rather than providing an exemplar.
The word specimen comes from the Latin specimen, meaning "mark or sign," which itself derives from the verb speciō ("to observe"). It entered English to denote an object that serves as a representative example of its kind.