Skip to content
ontologydriven
Sign out

Dictionary

Words, grammatical forms and meanings linked to the ontology.

speculation en · NOUN

Pronunciation

  • /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/ (Canada, General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
  • (California, Southern) audio
  • /ˌspek.jəˈlæɪ.ʃən/ (Australia, New-Zealand)

Etymology

From Middle English speculacioun, speculation, from Old French speculation (compare French spéculation), from Late Latin speculātiō, speculātiōnem, from Latin speculor. Morphologically speculate + -ion.

Meanings

  1. (countable, uncountable) The process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject.
    • The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have ended months of intense speculation by announcing they are expecting their first child, but were forced to share their news earlier than hoped because of the Duchess's admission to hospital on Monday. 2012 December 3, Caroline Davies, The Guardian:
    • It ſeems, the Minds of theſe People are ſo taken up with intenſe Speculations, that they neither can ſpeak, nor attend to the Diſcourſes of others, without being rouzed by ſome external Taction upon the Organs of Speech and Hearing; for which reaſon, thoſe Perſons who are able to afford it always keep a Flapper (the Original is Climenole) in their Family, as one of their Domeſticks, nor ever walk abroad or make Viſits without him. 1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], “The Humours and Dispositions of the Laputians Described. […]”, in Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa, Balnibarbi, Glubbdubdribb, Luggnagg, and Japan), pages 16–17:
    • Thenceforth to speculations high or deep I turned my thoughts. 1667, John Milton, “Book IX”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC:
  2. (countable, uncountable) The act or process of reasoning a priori from premises given or assumed.
  3. (countable, uncountable) A conclusion to which the mind comes by speculating; mere theory; notion; conjecture.
    • [N]ear the Age of Socrates lived their Great and Renowned Confutius, who began the ſame Deſign, of reclaiming Men from the uſeless and endleſs Speculations of Nature, to thoſe of Morality. 1690, William Temple, Miscellanea. The Second Part. […], London: […] T. M. for Ri[chard] and Ra[lph] Simpson, […], →OCLC, page 23:
    • To his speculations on these subjects he gave the lofty name of the "Oracles of Reason". 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XIX, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:
  4. (countable, uncountable) An investment involving higher-than-normal risk in order to obtain a higher-than-normal return.
  5. (countable, uncountable) The act or practice of buying land, goods, shares, etc., in expectation of selling at a higher price, or of selling with the expectation of repurchasing at a lower price; a trading on anticipated fluctuations in price, as distinguished from trading in which the profit expected is the difference between the retail and wholesale prices, or the difference of price in different markets.
    • Speculation, while confined within moderate limits, is the agent for equalizing supply and demand, and rendering the fluctuations of price less sudden and abrupt than they would otherwise be. 1883, Francis Amasa Walker, Political Economy:
    • Sudden fortunes, indeed, are sometimes made in such places, by what is called the trade of speculation. 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations:
  6. (countable, uncountable) A card game in which the players buy from one another trumps or whole hands, upon a chance of getting the highest trump dealt, which entitles the holder to the pool of stakes.
  7. (countable, uncountable) The process of anticipating which branch of code will be chosen and executing it in advance.
  8. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) The faculty of sight.
    • Thou hast no speculation in those eyes. c. 1606 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Macbeth”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act III, scene iv]:
  9. (countable, obsolete, uncountable) An act of looking at something; examination, observation.
    • [T]he expression of exultation and content on their animated faces, is one of my most delicious speculations. 1792, Charlotte Smith, Desmond, Broadview, published 2001, page 115:

Forms

SpellingFeaturesLabelsSource
speculations Number=Plur lexicographic

Deriveds

overspeculation · nonspeculation · antispeculation · prespeculation · misspeculation · Creating a work with the hope of selling it · as opposed to creating a work for hire

Synonyms

adventure

Translations (71)

ca especulació (process of thinking or meditation) · fi järkeily (process of thinking or meditation) · uk спекуля́ція (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · sv spekulation (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · id spekulasi (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · id spekulasi (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · mi kōrero takuahi (process of thinking or meditation) · ar مُضَارَبَة (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · ja 投機 (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · nl speculatie (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · nn spekulasjon (process of thinking or meditation) · bg спекулация (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · id spekulasi (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · es especulación (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · pl spekulacja (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · bg предположе́ние (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · mi kōrero takuahi (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · fi spekulatiivinen investointi (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · ja 投機 (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · ru размышле́ние (process of thinking or meditation) · fr spéculation (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · fi spekulaatio (process of thinking or meditation) · fi johtopäätös (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · fi mietiskely (process of thinking or meditation) · ko 사행 (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · ca especulació (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · pl spekulacja (philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed) · fi riskisijoitus (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · pt especulação (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · cmn 投機倒把 /投机倒把 (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · de Spekulation (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · fi spekulatiivinen investointi (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · ru предположе́ние (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · ar تَكَهُّنٌ (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · de Spekulation (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · it speculazione (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · ka სპეკულაცია (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · fi spekulaatio (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · ru спекуля́ция (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · fi päättely (process of thinking or meditation) · uk спекуля́ція (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · cmn 投機 /投机 (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · fi spekulointi (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · bg размишле́ние (process of thinking or meditation) · pt especulação (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · de Betrachtung (philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed) · pt especulação (process of thinking or meditation) · fi päättely (philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed) · fr spéculation (process of thinking or meditation) · es especulación (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · ru спекули́рование (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · ga amhantraíocht (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · uk спекуля́ція (philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed) · fi keinottelu (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · fi pohdinta (process of thinking or meditation) · fr spéculation (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · ka სპეკულაცია (philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed) · nl giswerk (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · pl spekulacja (process of thinking or meditation) · mi pūmāramarama (judgment or conclusion reached by speculating) · es especulación (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · fi spekulaatio (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · fi tarkastelu (examination by the eye) · fi näkö (power of sight) · pt especulação (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk) · es especulación (process of thinking or meditation) · ko 투기 (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · de Spekulation (philosophy: act or process of reasoning from premises given or assumed) · bg спекулация (act or practice of investing in expectation of making a profit from future price changes) · nb spekulasjon (process of thinking or meditation) · uk ґешефтя́рство (business, finance: investment involving higher-than-normal risk)