specimen
scientific sample / medical sample / representative example
Noun
pl: specimens
This term carries a clinical or academic tone, evoking the image of a preserved object in a jar or a slide under a microscope. It suggests a representative part used to understand a larger whole, shifting the focus from the individual entity to its value as a data point or a standard of quality. In medical contexts, the word is used specifically for biological samples. Unlike a general sample, a specimen is often treated as a formal unit of evidence for diagnostic or taxonomic purposes.
Meanings
Noun
An individual animal, plant, piece of a mineral, etc., used as an example of its species or type for scientific study or display.
"The biologist collected a specimen of the rare orchid from the rainforest."