Where does “specimen” come from?

specimen (Romanian) comes from French spécimen, from Latin specimen, from Latin speciō, from Proto-Italic spekjō, from Proto-Indo-European spéḱyeti, from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- — to see, to look, to observe.

specimen (Romanian): specimen

Definitions

  1. specimen

Ancestry of “specimen”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frenchspécimenspecimen
2Latinspecimenmark, token, sign, indication; example, pattern,...
3Latinspeciōto observe, watch, look at
4Proto-Italicspekjōto observe, to see
5Proto-Indo-Europeanspéḱyetito be looking at, to keep looking at
6Proto-Indo-Europeanspeḱ-to see, to look, to observe
Every word from Proto-Indo-European speḱ-
specimen — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer