specificity

English

Etymology

From specific + -ity.

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA: /spɛsɪˈfɪsɪti/

Noun

specificity (plural specificities)

1. The state of being specific rather than general.
2. (statistics) The probability, in a binary test, of a true negative being correctly identified.
3. (medicine) The extent to which a particular diagnostic test is specific for a given condition.

Synonyms

• specificness (much less common)

Coordinate terms

• (statistics, binary probability): sensitivity

Translations

the state of being specific rather than general

French: spécificité (fr) f. Romanian: specificitate (ro) f.

Spanish: especificidad (es) f.

a probability in a binary test of a true negative being correctly identified

French: spécificité (fr) f.

External links

• specificity in The Century Dictionary, The Century Co., New York, 1911
• specificity at OneLook Dictionary Search