| Library / English Dictionary |
SPECIALIZATION
| Pronunciation (US): |  | (GB): | |
I. (noun)
Sense 1
Meaning:
The special line of work you have adopted as your career
Example:
his specialization is gastroenterology
Synonyms:
specialisation; specialism; speciality; specialization; specialty
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("specialization" is a kind of...):
calling; career; vocation (the particular occupation for which you are trained)
Derivation:
specialize (devote oneself to a special area of work)
Sense 2
Meaning:
The act of specializing; making something suitable for a special purpose
Synonyms:
specialisation; specialization
Classified under:
Nouns denoting acts or actions
Hypernyms ("specialization" is a kind of...):
change of state (the act of changing something into something different in essential characteristics)
Derivation:
specialize (suit to a special purpose)
Sense 3
Meaning:
(biology) the structural adaptation of some body part for a particular function
Example:
cell differentiation in the developing embryo
Synonyms:
differentiation; specialisation; specialization
Classified under:
Nouns denoting natural processes
Hypernyms ("specialization" is a kind of...):
adaptation; adaption; adjustment (the process of adapting to something (such as environmental conditions))
Domain category:
biological science; biology (the science that studies living organisms)
Derivation:
specialize (evolve so as to lead to a new species or develop in a way most suited to the environment)
Context examples:
The study of the protoplasmic boundary of all cells that controls permeability and may serve other functions through surface specializations; e.g., active ion transport absorption by formation of pinocytotic vesicles; receptor-mediated antigen recognition, etc.
(Membrane Biology, NCI Thesaurus)
