Where does “specimen” come from?

Specimen comes from Latin specimen, derived from the Proto-Indo-European root speḱ- meaning "to look or observe" combined with the Proto-Indo-European suffix -mn̥.

specimen (English): An individual instance that represents a class;...

Definitions

An individual instance that represents a class;...

Ancestry of “specimen”, step by step

Step	Language	Word	Meaning
1	Latin	specimen	mark, token, sign, indication; example, pattern,...
2	Latin	speciō	—
3	Proto-Italic	spekjō	to observe, to see
4	Proto-Indo-European	spéḱyeti	to be looking at, to keep looking at
5	Proto-Indo-European	speḱ-	to see, to look, to observe

Words derived from “specimen”

biospecimen
intraspecimen
specimens

Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- →

specimen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer