Emily Dickinson Lexicon

SPEC'I-MEN, n. [L. from species, with the termination men, which corresponds in sense to the English hood or ness.]

A sample; a part or small portion of any thing, intended to exhibit the kind and quality of the whole, or of something not exhibited; as, a specimen of a man's hand-writing; a specimen of painting or composition; a specimen of one's art or skill.