Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of something relative to that of water. So water has a specific gravity of 1, while something more dense than water has a specific gravity greater than 1. This also means that specific gravity is unitless, while density is not (e.g. kg*m^-3)
But agreed that "specific" usually means per something or relative to something.
BezoomyChellovek t1_jbkymnz wrote
Reply to comment by mesouschrist in What does the word "specific" mean in a scientific context? by doodlelol
Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of something relative to that of water. So water has a specific gravity of 1, while something more dense than water has a specific gravity greater than 1. This also means that specific gravity is unitless, while density is not (e.g. kg*m^-3)
But agreed that "specific" usually means per something or relative to something.