SPECIALISE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does specialise mean? 

• SPECIALISE (verb)
  The verb SPECIALISE has 5 senses:

1. devote oneself to a special area of work

2. be specific about

3. suit to a special purpose

4. become more focused on an area of activity or field of study

5. evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment

  Familiarity information: SPECIALISE used as a verb is common.

 Dictionary entry details 

• SPECIALISE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they specialise    ... he / she / it specialises   
Past simple: specialised   
Past participle: specialised   
-ing form: specialising   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Devote oneself to a special area of work

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Synonyms:

specialise; specialize

Context example:

This baker specializes in French bread

Hypernyms (to "specialise" is one way to...):

work (exert oneself by doing mental or physical work for a purpose or out of necessity)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s PP

Derivation:

specialisation (the special line of work you have adopted as your career)

specialiser; specialist (an expert who is devoted to one occupation or branch of learning)

specialist (practices one branch of medicine)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Be specific about

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Synonyms:

particularise; particularize; specialise; specialize; specify

Context example:

Could you please specify your criticism of my paper?

Hypernyms (to "specialise" is one way to...):

dilate; elaborate; enlarge; expand; expatiate; exposit; expound; flesh out; lucubrate (add details, as to an account or idea; clarify the meaning of and discourse in a learned way, usually in writing)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "specialise"):

spell out (make explicit; specify in detail)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something
Somebody ----s that CLAUSE

Sense 3

Meaning:

Suit to a special purpose

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

specialise; specialize

Context example:

this kind of beak has become specialized in certain Galapagos finches

Hypernyms (to "specialise" is one way to...):

modify (make less severe or harsh or extreme)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

specialisation (the act of specializing; making something suitable for a special purpose)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Become more focused on an area of activity or field of study

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

narrow; narrow down; specialise; specialize

Context example:

She specializes in Near Eastern history

Hypernyms (to "specialise" is one way to...):

alter; change; vary (become different in some particular way, without permanently losing one's or its former characteristics or essence)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "specialise"):

overspecialise; overspecialize (become overly specialized)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s
Something is ----ing PP
Somebody ----s PP

Antonym:

diversify (vary in order to spread risk or to expand)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

differentiate; specialise; specialize; speciate

Hypernyms (to "specialise" is one way to...):

evolve (undergo development or evolution)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s

Derivation:

specialisation ((biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function)

 Context examples 

The ependyma is a specialised epithelium lining the ventricles and central canal of the brain and spinal cord.

(Ependyma and Remnants of the Central Canal of the Spinal Cord, NCI Thesaurus)

Benoit Louppe is a chemist technician specialised in the study of these electromagnetic waves.

(Health threats caused by mobile phone radiation, EUROPARL TV)

Iceland specialises in this type of eruption – the last example occurred in 2015, and it affected air quality 1400 kilometres away in Ireland.

(Volcanic eruption influenced Iceland’s conversion to Christianity, University of Cambridge)

Dr Worthington is an Assyriologist who specialises in Babylonian, Assyrian and Sumerian grammar, literature and medicine.

(‘Trickster god’ used fake news in Babylonian Noah story, University of Cambridge)

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have uncovered a specialised population of skin cells that coordinate tail regeneration in frogs.

(Scientists find new type of cell that helps tadpoles’ tails regenerate, University of Cambridge)

Research in the Niassa National Reserve reveals that by using specialised calls to communicate and cooperate with each other, people and wild birds can significantly increase their chances of locating vital sources of calorie-laden food.

(How humans and wild Honeyguide birds call each other to help, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

However, these specialised cells are usually dedicated to tissue sub-lineages, while the ability to regenerate whole organs and tissues has been lost in all but a minority of tissues such as liver and skin.

(Scientists find new type of cell that helps tadpoles’ tails regenerate, University of Cambridge)

Experiments carried out in the Mozambican bush now show that this unique human-animal relationship has an extra dimension: not only do honeyguides use calls to solicit human partners, but humans use specialised calls to recruit birds’ assistance.

(How humans and wild Honeyguide birds call each other to help, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

In a paper called Reciprocal signaling in honeyguide-human mutualism, Dr Claire Spottiswoode and co-authors (conservationists Keith Begg and Dr Colleen Begg of the Niassa Carnivore Project) reveal that honeyguides are able to respond adaptively to specialised signals given by people seeking their collaboration, resulting in two-way communication between humans and wild birds.

(How humans and wild Honeyguide birds call each other to help, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)