speculation
/ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/
speculation means the process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject.
speculation is pronounced /ˌspɛk.jəˈleɪ.ʃən/.
Why “speculation” is a great word
Speculation is the act of forming a theory or engaging in a financial transaction without firm evidence, driven by the hope of profit from chance or market fluctuation. From Middle English speculacioun, from Old French speculation, from Late Latin speculātiōnem (stem of speculātiō, meaning 'observation, exploration'), from Latin speculor ('to watch, observe, examine'). Unlike 'investment', which implies a commitment grounded in analysis for lasting yield, or 'certainty', which denotes proof, speculation is a wager on possibility itself—the trader's trembling finger hovering over the buy button at 3:47 a.m., the historian's elegant reconstruction of a conversation no one recorded, the quiet purchase of land just beyond the frontier's edge. It is the human gamble on a future that has not yet decided to exist.
Etymology
From Middle English speculacioun, speculation, from Old French speculation (compare French spéculation), from Late Latin speculātiō, speculātiōnem, from Latin speculor. Morphologically speculate + -ion.
noun
- The process or act of thinking or meditating on a subject.e.g.“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 a
- The act or process of reasoning a priori from premises given or assumed.
- A conclusion to which the mind comes by speculating; mere theory; notion; conjecture.
- An investment involving higher-than-normal risk in order to obtain a higher-than-normal return.
- 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.e.g.“Sudden fortunes, indeed, are sometimes made in such places, by what is called the trade of speculation.” — 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations:
- 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.
- The process of anticipating which branch of code will be chosen and executing it in advance.
- The faculty of sight.e.g.“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,
- An act of looking at something; examination, observation.e.g.“[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:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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