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Origin and history of specialty

specialty(n.)

c. 1300, "particular affection; special attachment or favor, partiality," from Old French especialte, the more vernacular form of specialite (see speciality). Compare personalty/personality; realty/reality. It is attested by early 15c. as "unusual or extraordinary thing, peculiar quality, distinctive characteristic;" by late 15c. as "specialized branch of learning." By 1860 as "characteristic product or manufacture."

also from c. 1300

Entries linking to specialty

speciality(n.)

early 15c., "a distinctive quality or thing;" mid-15c. as "quality of being special," from Old French specialte, especialte "nature, special quality, particularity; special point, distinction," and directly from Latin specialitatem (nominative specialitas) "peculiarity, particularity" from specialis "individual, particular" (see special (adj.)).

The meaning "thing or article of manufacture characteristic of a particular place or business" is by 1863. The Modern French form spécialité is recorded in English from 1839, especially in reference to restaurant dishes.

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    specialization
    1831, "act of becoming specialized, condition of differentiation," noun of action from specialize. The biological sense of "adaptation to a specific function" is from 1862. In science and scientific education, "a direction of time and energies in one particular channel to the exc
    strength
    Middle English strengthe, from Old English strengþu, strengð "property of being strong, bodily power, muscular force; vigor, firmness, fortitude, manhood; violence; moral resistance," from Proto-Germanic *strangitho (source also of Old High German strengida "strength"), from PIE
    Reuben
    The Reuben sandwich of corned beef, sauerkraut, etc., on rye bread, an American specialty (1956) is the same name but "Not...
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    Black Sambo" by Helen Bannerman, which is about an East Indian child, and the widespread Sambo's chain of U.S. pancake-specialty...
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    is sick" seems to begin 1790s with William Cullen, M.D., professor of physic in the University of Edinburgh, who made a specialty...
    individualism
    "quality of being distinct or individual, individuality," 1815, from individual + -ism. As the name of a social philosophy favoring non-interference of government in lives of individuals (opposed to communism and socialism) first attested 1851 in writings of J.S. Mill. Is it not
    idiosyncrasy
    c. 1600, from French idiosyncrasie, from Latinized form of Greek idiosynkrasia "a peculiar temperament," from idios "one's own" (see idiom) + synkrasis "temperament, mixture of personal characteristics," from syn "together" (see syn-) + krasis "mixture," from PIE root *kere- "to
    foible
    1640s, "weak point of a sword blade" (contrasted to forte), from French foible "a weak point, a weakness, failing," from noun use of Old French adjective feble "feeble" (see feeble). The spelling borrowed in English is obsolete in modern French, which uses faible. Extended sense

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