spec1
/spɛk
/noun (in phrase on spec) informal
In the hope of success but without any specific plan or instructions: he built the factory on spec and hoped someone would buy it...
- I wrote my first book on spec, sent it off to nearly 100 publishers and in six weeks I had my first offer.
- Bedfont Lakes Hotel was developed on spec near London's Heathrow Airport but designed specifically for its unique site.
- Byrnes designed this 5,400-square-foot house on spec using his family as theoretical homeowners.
Origin
Late 18th century: abbreviation of speculation.
Rhymes
spec2
/spɛk/noun (US also specs)
short for specification (sense 2). a camera with a very basic spec...
- The difference between original and amended specs seems negligible.
- The original spec for the Pentium 4 sure as heck made it a Xeon class processor.
- Time to talk technical specs says Nathan Rippin.
verb (specs, speccing, specced) [with object]
Give (something) a particular specification; construct to a specified standard: the range allows buyers to spec their truck to their needs...
- Each machine is currently specced to 64MB of memory.
- Someone's already speccing the code and writing the business plan.
- Its machines are usually specced better than the average for the price.