speculate

speculate
/spek"yeuh layt'/, v.i., speculated, speculating.
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.
[1590-1600; < L speculatus, ptp. of speculari to watch over, explore, reconnoiter, deriv. of specula watch tower, n. deriv. of specere to look, regard; see -ATE1]
Syn. 1. think, reflect, cogitate. 2. conjecture, guess, surmise, suppose, theorize.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • speculate — spec‧u‧late [ˈspekjleɪt] verb 1. [intransitive] FINANCE to buy goods, shares, property etc in the hope that their value will increase so that you can sell them at a higher price and make a profit, often quickly: speculate in • Investors may… …   Financial and business terms

  • 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… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • speculate — spec·u·late / spe kyə ˌlāt/ vb lat·ed, lat·ing vi 1: to theorize on the basis of insufficient evidence ◇ 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 …   Law dictionary

  • Speculate — Spec u*late, v. t. To consider attentively; as, to speculate the nature of a thing. [R.] Sir W. Hamilton. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • speculate — [v1] think about deeply and theorize beat one’s brains*, brainstorm*, build castles in air*, call it, call the turn, cerebrate, chew over*, cogitate, conjecture, consider, contemplate, deliberate, dope*, dope out*, excogitate, figure, figure out* …   New thesaurus

  • speculate — (v.) 1590s, back formation from SPECULATION (Cf. speculation). Related: Speculated; speculating …   Etymology dictionary

  • speculate — reason, reflect, *think, cogitate, deliberate Analogous words: *ponder, meditate, muse, ruminate: *consider, weigh, study, contemplate, excogitate …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • speculate — ► VERB 1) form a theory or conjecture without firm evidence. 2) invest in stocks, property, or other ventures in the hope of financial gain but with the risk of loss. DERIVATIVES speculation noun speculator noun. ORIGIN Latin speculari observe ,… …   English terms dictionary

  • speculate — [spek′yə lāt΄] vi. speculated, speculating [< L speculatus, pp. of speculari, to view < specula, watchtower < specere, to see: see SPY] 1. to think about the various aspects of a given subject; meditate; ponder; esp., to conjecture 2. to …   English World dictionary

  • speculate — v. 1) (D; intr.) ( to meditate, think ) to speculate about, on (to speculate about what might have been) 2) (D; intr.) ( to conduct business by taking risks ) to speculate in; on (to speculate in oil shares; to speculate in gold; to speculate on… …   Combinatory dictionary

  • speculate — verb ADVERB ▪ openly, publicly ▪ Commentators are openly speculating on whether the accusation is false. ▪ widely ▪ wildly ▪ The British press speculated …   Collocations dictionary

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