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spec·u·late 
Audio Help [spek-yuh-leyt] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [spek-yuh-leyt] Pronunciation Key –verb (used without object), -lat·ed, -lat·ing.
| 1. | to engage in thought or reflection; meditate (often fol. by on, upon, or a clause). |
| 2. | to indulge in conjectural thought. |
| 3. | to engage in any business transaction involving considerable risk or the chance of large gains, esp. to buy and sell commodities, stocks, etc., in the expectation of a quick or very large profit. |
[Origin: 1590–1600; < L speculātus, ptp. of speculārī to watch over, explore, reconnoiter, deriv. of specula watch tower, n. deriv. of specere to look, regard; see -ate1]
] —Synonyms 1. think, reflect, cogitate. 2. conjecture, guess, surmise, suppose, theorize.
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
Speculate
To learn more about Speculate visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| spec·u·late
Audio Help (spěk'yə-lāt') Pronunciation Key
v. spec·u·lat·ed, spec·u·lat·ing, spec·u·lates v. intr.
v. tr. To assume to be true without conclusive evidence: speculated that high cholesterol was a contributing factor to the patient's health problems. [Latin speculārī, speculāt-, to observe, from specula, watchtower, from specere, to look at; see spek- in Indo-European roots.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
| speculate | |
verb | |
| 1. | to believe especially on uncertain or tentative grounds; "Scientists supposed that large dinosaurs lived in swamps" |
| 2. | talk over conjecturally, or review in an idle or casual way and with an element of doubt or without sufficient reason to reach a conclusion; "We were speculating whether the President had to resign after the scandal" |
| 3. | reflect deeply on a subject; "I mulled over the events of the afternoon"; "philosophers have speculated on the question of God for thousands of years"; "The scientist must stop to observe and start to excogitate" |
| 4. | invest at a risk; "I bought this house not because I want to live in it but to sell it later at a good price, so I am speculating" |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
speculate [ˈspekjuleit] verb
to make guesses
Example: He's only speculating — he doesn't know; There's no point in speculating about what's going to happen.
See also: speculationExample: He's only speculating — he doesn't know; There's no point in speculating about what's going to happen.
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Main Entry: spec·u·late
Pronunciation: 'spe-ky&-"lAt
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -lat·ed; -lat·ing
intransitiveverb 1 : to theorize on the basis of insufficient evidence
NOTE: A jury is not permitted to speculate on a matter about which insufficient evidence has been presented in reachingits verdict.
2 : to assume a business risk in hope of gain; especially : to buy or sell in expectation of profiting from market fluctuations transitive verb :to take to be true on the basis of insufficient evidence —spec·u·la·tor /-"lA-t&r/ noun
| Merriam-Webster's Dictionary of Law, © 1996 Merriam-Webster, Inc. |
Speculate
Pil"lo*ry\, n.; pl. Pillories. [F. pilori; cf. Pr. espitlori, LL. piloricum, pilloricum, pellericum, pellorium, pilorium, spilorium; perhaps from a derivative of L. speculari to look around, observe. Cf. Speculate.] A frame of adjustable boards erected on a post, and having holes through which the head and hands of an offender were thrust so as to be exposed in front of it. --Shak.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
Speculate
Spec"u*late\, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Speculated; p. pr. & vb. n. Speculating.] [L. speculatus, p. p. of speculari to spy out, observe, fr. specula a lookout, fr. specere to look. See Spy.]1. To consider by turning a subject in the mind, and viewing it in its different aspects and relations; to meditate; to contemplate; to theorize; as, to speculate on questions in religion; to speculate on political events. It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most pefect quietude to the external regulations of society. --Hawthorne. 2. (Philos.) To view subjects from certain premises given or assumed, and infer conclusions respecting them a priori. 3. (Com.) To purchase with the expectation of a contingent advance in value, and a consequent sale at a profit; -- often, in a somewhat depreciative sense, of unsound or hazardous transactions; as, to speculate in coffee, in sugar, or in bank stock.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
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