Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word
overspecify. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
overspecify, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
overspecify in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
overspecify you have here. The definition of the word
overspecify will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
overspecify, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Etymology
From over- + specify.
Pronunciation
Verb
overspecify (third-person singular simple present overspecifies, present participle overspecifying, simple past and past participle overspecified)
- To specify in excessive detail.
The customer overspecified the requirements and now we're contractually required to build it this way. Does he think he's an engineer?
1949, “Sponge Rubber”, in Walter E. Burton, editor, Engineering with Rubber, 1st edition, New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company, page 389:Manufacturers of sponge-rubber products have noted a tendency for designers and other users to overspecify.
1975, John Whittet, “We Need NEOCS”, in All Hands, number 698, page 50:First, the study group discovered a tendency in the current system to overspecify a billet. For example, to write a billet for a laboratory technician, one could specify rate and rating, as an HM1, one could specify E-6 and NEC-8506, or one could specify both. Obviously, this sort of procedure creates distribution problems which could compound.
- To specify excessive capability.
As usual the customer overspecified the requirements, it's like asking for a car that seats 20 and fits in a compact car's parking space.
1991 April 1, Gene P. Carlson, “NFPA 1903: Mobile Water Supply Apparatus”, in Fire Engineering:Design your mobile water supply apparatus around the chassis that you intend to use. Don’t overspecify or underspecify the unit.
- To provide redundant or inconsistent information.
An overspecified truth table contains at least one decision that will never be executed because it is already specified in a previous decision...
A noun phrase is overspecified when it is used in a context where a pronoun would have been unambiguous.
Antonyms