speculation

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˌspek.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/, /ˌspek.jʊˈleɪ.ʃən/^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Old French speculacion (“close observation, rapt attention”) and directly from Late Latin speculātiō, contemplation, a spying out,^[2][3] from the past participle of Latin speculārī, to spy out, observe,^[2][3] from specere, to look at (see speculate and spectacle).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

Contemplation or profound study of a subject: about 1374 in the OED, the late 14th century in Etymonline.^[4][2]

Semantic evolution

Pursuing truth by thinking is from the mid-15th century,^[2] and in Middle English it could also mean theory as opposed to practice.^[2] The faculty of sight (1471) and seeing or looking (1509) are obsolete senses.^[4] The disparaging sense, mere conjecture, is from the 1570s.^[2] Buying and selling in the hope of profiting from changes in market value is from 1774,^[2] with the short form spec from 1794.^[2]

Timeline

• c. 1374 – contemplation.^[4]
• 1471 – sight (obsolete).^[4]
• 1570s – conjecture.^[2]
• 1774 – financial speculation.^[2]
• 1794 – spec.^[2]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. The forming of opinions or theories without firm evidence; conjecture.
2. An opinion or theory reached in this way.
3. Investment that carries a high risk in the hope of large profits.
4. Contemplation or deep thought on a subject.

Word family

• antispeculation
• nonspeculation
• overspeculation
• prespeculation

Related words

• speculate
• spectacle
• inspect
• spy
• species

References

1. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011), Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary, 18th ed., ed. Peter Roach, Jane Setter and John Esling, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
3. ^ a b Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary (2024), online ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
4. ^ a b c d Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press