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Glite Dictionary
marine specimen

marine specimen

5.9
A living thing from the sea kept for study or museum display
  • noun
translation icon : especimen marino
  • Students learned about different marine specimens found in the Atlantic Ocean.

Examples

  • During our research trip, we collected numerous marine specimens from the coral reef.

  • You'll not find many marine specimens up here, Mr Calvert.

    When Eight Bells Toll (1971)

  • The biologist displayed several unique marine specimens in the museum's aquarium.

Surface Forms

marine specimen singular
marine specimens plural

Morphology

marine + specimen

The meaning 'an organism from the sea' is directly derivable from combining 'marine' (associated with the sea) and 'specimen' (a sample or individual used for study). This follows a regular modifier+noun composition common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily understand the phrase.

Etymology

Marine specimen paints a simple picture: a sea animal or plant kept in a jar or on a tray so people can look at it. The word marine means 'sea' and specimen means 'sample', so marine specimen refers to a sea creature collected for 'study' or display.