Definition of "specialist" []

• One who is devoted to a particular occupation or branch of study or research: "Specialists . . . tend to think in grooves” ( Elaine Morgan). (noun)
• A physician whose practice is limited to a particular branch of medicine or surgery, especially one who is certified by a board of physicians: a specialist in oncology. (noun)
• Any of several noncommissioned ranks in the U.S. Army that correspond to that of corporal through sergeant first class. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "In the case of NetizensForBradley. org, the specialist is the young Greg Laynor, who has read all the FEC literature but still concludes that "it's not clear if we're doing something wrong.""
• "I would like to emphasize what we previously discussed — that looking for a specialist is the fastest, safest, and cheapest way [to embark on a biological - and chemical-weapons program]."
• "Smith: The word 'specialist' has a legal meaning in veterinary medicine, and it applies to veterinarians who have received further training and are "board certified" -- the number of vets who are board certified in working with exotics, reptiles, amphibians or birds is very small, but if you can find one, that's great!"