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speculate

 - 3 dictionary results

spec⋅u⋅late

  [spek-yuh-leyt]
Use speculate in a Sentence
–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 -ate 1

Synonyms:
1. think, reflect, cogitate. 2. conjecture, guess, surmise, suppose, theorize.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To speculate
spec·u·late   (spěk'yə-lāt')   
v.   spec·u·lat·ed, spec·u·lat·ing, spec·u·lates

v.   intr.

  1. To meditate on a subject; reflect.

  2. To engage in a course of reasoning often based on inconclusive evidence. See Synonyms at think.

  3. To engage in the buying or selling of a commodity with an element of risk on the chance of profit.

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 © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Legal Dictionary

Main Entry: spec·u·late
Pronunciation: 'spe-ky&-"lAt
Function: verb
Inflected Forms: -lat·ed; -lat·ing
intransitive verb 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 reaching its 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.
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