Specifies

Specifies is the third-person singular present tense of the verb specify. To specify means to state something in explicit, precise terms or to designate something clearly and exactly. It often involves setting out particular requirements, conditions, or characteristics so that they cannot be misunderstood. The act of specifying can appear in formal documents, technical manuals, legal contracts, and standards documents. A sentence such as "The contract specifies the deliverables and the payment schedule" demonstrates its use. The object of specify is typically a detail, criterion, or instruction.

The word derives from Latin specificare, from species "kind, appearance." It entered English in the early modern period and has since become common in business and technical writing. In contrast to describe, specify implies precision and fixed criteria, whereas describe is usually broader and more perceptual.

Common collocations include specify requirements, specify terms, specify parameters, specify standards, and specify constraints. In computing and engineering contexts, specifications define interfaces, tolerances, units, and performance criteria to ensure interoperability and quality.

In legal drafting, precise specification reduces ambiguity and helps establish enforceable obligations. While phrases such as "as specified" or "as specified in" are common to refer to earlier documents, the core idea remains to make explicit what must be true or done. Synonyms include define, designate, stipulate, and set forth.