specialist

Everyday

1. A specialist is a person who knows a great deal about one subject or does one kind of work very well. tree →
2. (health) A specialist is a doctor who treats one part of the body or one kind of illness, like a heart specialist. tree →
3. As an adjective, specialist means for one particular purpose or for experts, as in "specialist equipment". tree →

In the lessons

In health, a GP sends you to a specialist with a referral. In school, specialist teachers teach music, PE or languages. In science and careers, specialists study one field deeply. Phrases: "a specialist in", "see a specialist", "heart specialist", "specialist shop", "specialist knowledge".

Examples

• The doctor sent me to a skin specialist. tree →
• Our music lessons are taught by a specialist teacher. tree →
• She is a specialist in sharks. tree →
• The divers used specialist equipment to explore the wreck. tree →
• We bought my bike at a specialist cycle shop. tree →
• A specialist came to fix the old church clock. tree →
• I leave to Celtic specialists the task of settling the exact relations of these various texts. tree →

Note

Countable: a specialist, specialists. Verb: specialise (UK) / specialize (US). Opposite: a generalist (someone who knows about many things), such as a GP who treats all kinds of illness. In the USA, "specialist" is also a rank in the army.