specialization

English

Alternative forms

• specialisation (non-Oxford British English)

Etymology

Etymology tree

English special

Proto-Indo-European *-id-

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-idyéti

Proto-Hellenic *-íďďō

Ancient Greek -ῐ́ζω (-ĭ́zō)bor.

Late Latin -izōder.

Middle French -iserbor.

Middle English -isen

English -ize

English specialize

Proto-Indo-European *-tis

Proto-Indo-European *-Hō

Proto-Indo-European *-tiHō

Proto-Italic *-tiō

Latin -tiō

Latin -ātiōlbor.

Old French -ationbor.

Middle English -acioun

English -ation

English specialization

From specialize + -ation.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): [ˌspɛʃəlaɪ̯ˈzeɪ̯ʃn̩]
• (General American, Canada) IPA^(key): [ˌspɛʃəlɪˈzeɪ̯ʃn̩], [ˌspɛʃələˈzeɪ̯ʃn̩], [ˌspɛʃəlaɪ̯ˈzeɪ̯ʃn̩]

  • Audio (Connecticut):

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  • Audio (Texas):

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  • Audio (Inland Northern American):

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• (Australian) IPA^(key): [ˌspeʃəlɑe̯ˈzæɪ̯ʃn̩]
• (New Zealand) IPA^(key): [ˌspeʃəlɑe̯ˈzæɪ̯ʃn̩]
• Rhymes: -eɪʃən
• Hyphenation: spe‧cial‧i‧za‧tion

Noun

specialization (countable and uncountable, plural specializations) (American spelling, Oxford British English)

1. The act or process of specializing.
   • 1973, Robert A. Heinlein, Time Enough For Love:

     A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.

2. The area in which someone specializes.
   • 2012, Glenn M. Wong, The Comprehensive Guide to Careers in Sports, Jones & Bartlett Publishers, →ISBN, page 35:

     Many MBA programs now allow students to obtain a specialization in sport management. This differs from the joint degree programs in that only one degree, an MBA, is awarded (i.e., a separate master's degree in sport management is not awarded). The MBA with a sport management specialization should be considered as a second option in lieu of the joint degree.

3. (biology) The adaptation of an organism to a specific environment, or adaptation of an organ to a particular function.
   • 2012, O. A. Jones, Biology and Geology of Coral Reefs V2: Biology 1, Elsevier, →ISBN, page 248:

     Specialization is frequently divided into two categories largely based on methods of study: food specialization and specialization with respect to microhabitat.

4. (mathematics) A proof, axiom, problem, or definition whose cases are completely covered by another, broader concept.

   A triangle is a specialization of a polygon to one with exactly three sides.

Synonyms

• (act of specializing): particularization; see also Thesaurus:specialization

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “act of specializing”): abstraction, generalization; see also Thesaurus:generalization

Derived terms

• hyperspecialization
• overspecialization
• subspecialization
• superspecialization
• ultraspecialization

Related terms

• speciation

Translations

act or process of specializing

Afrikaans: spesialisering sg Bulgarian: специализа́ция f (specializácija) Catalan: especialització f Czech: specializace f Danish: specialisering c Dutch: specialisatie (nl) m Finnish: erikoistuminen (fi) French: spécialisation (fr) f Galician: especialización (gl) f German: Spezialisierung f Greek: ειδικότητα (el) f (eidikótita) Hebrew: התמחות (hitmakhút) Indonesian: spesialisasi (id) Italian: specializzazione (it) f Malay: pengkhususan Norwegian: spesialisering (no) m Occitan: especializacion (oc) f Polish: uszczegółowienie n, specjalizacja (pl) f Portuguese: especialização (pt) f Romanian: specializare (ro) m, specializație m Russian: специализа́ция (ru) f (specializácija) Slovak: špecializácia m Spanish: especialización (es) f Swedish: specialisering (sv) c, fördjupning (sv) c Tagalog: satangi Ukrainian: спеціаліза́ція f (specializácija) Welsh: arbenigoliad m, arbenigaeth m, sbesialiad sg or m

area in which one specializes

Bulgarian: специалност (bg) f (specialnost) Catalan: especialització f Indonesian: spesialisasi (id) Swedish: specialitet (sv) c

biology: adaptation

Estonian: spetsialiseerumine Finnish: erikoistuminen (fi) French: spécialisation (fr) f German: Spezialisierung f Latvian: specializācija Russian: специализа́ция (ru) f (specializácija) Swedish: specialisering (sv), adaption (sv) c Tagalog: satangi