'specify' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'specificare', where 'speci-' meant 'appearance' and '-ficare' meant 'to make.'

'specificare' transformed into the Old French word 'specifier,' and eventually became the modern English word 'specify' through Middle English.

Initially, it meant 'to make something appear in detail,' but over time it evolved into its current meaning of 'to state explicitly or in detail.'