specific indefinite

A term used in SEMANTICS for INDEFINITE NOUN PHRASES which identify an individual more precisely than other indefinites. The exact meaning of the term varies widely among authors. In one interpretation, in the sentence Jane is married to a pilot, a pilot would be an example of specific indefiniteness, in that it is understood to mean a known, particular pilot whose identity is not being disclosed. The contrast would be with Jane wants to marry a pilot, which is totally non-definite. Both are distinct from specific definite noun phrases, as seen in Jane is going to marry the pilot that lives in the apartment upstairs.