Definify.com
Webster 1913 Edition
Speculum
Spec′u-lum
,Noun.
pl. L.
Specula
(#)
, E. Speculum
(#)
. [L., fr.
specere
to look, behold. See Spy
.] 1.
A mirror, or looking-glass; especially, a metal mirror, as in Greek and Roman archaeology.
2.
A reflector of polished metal, especially one used in reflecting telescopes. See
Speculum metal
, below. 3.
(Surg.)
An instrument for dilating certain passages of the body, and throwing light within them, thus facilitating examination or surgical operations.
4.
(Zool.)
A bright and lustrous patch of color found on the wings of ducks and some other birds. It is usually situated on the distal portions of the secondary quills, and is much more brilliant in the adult male than in the female.
Speculum metal
, a hard, brittle alloy used for making the reflectors of telescopes and other instruments, usually consisting of copper and tin in various proportions, one of the best being that in which there are 126.4 parts of copper to 58.9 parts of tin, with sometimes a small proportion of arsenic, antimony, or zinc added to improve the whiteness.
Definition 2024
speculum
speculum
English
Noun
speculum (plural speculums or specula)
- (medicine) A medical instrument used during an examination to dilate an orifice.
- A mirror, especially one used in a telescope.
- (ornithology) A bright, lustrous patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds, usually situated on the distal portions of the secondary quills, and much more brilliant in the adult male than in the female.
Translations
patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds
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Anagrams
Latin
Etymology
From speciō + -ulum. Confer with spectrum.
Pronunciation
- (Classical) IPA(key): /ˈspe.ku.lum/, [ˈspɛ.kʊ.ɫũ]
Noun
speculum n (genitive speculī); second declension
- a looking-glass, mirror
Inflection
Second declension.
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | speculum | specula |
| genitive | speculī | speculōrum |
| dative | speculō | speculīs |
| accusative | speculum | specula |
| ablative | speculō | speculīs |
| vocative | speculum | specula |
Descendants
References
- speculum in Charlton T. Lewis and Charles Short (1879) A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
- speculum in Charlton T. Lewis (1891) An Elementary Latin Dictionary, New York: Harper & Brothers
- SPECULUM in Charles du Fresne du Cange’s Glossarium Mediæ et Infimæ Latinitatis (augmented edition, 1883–1887)
- Félix Gaffiot (1934), “speculum”, in Dictionnaire Illustré Latin-Français, Paris: Hachette.
- speculum in Harry Thurston Peck, editor (1898) Harper's Dictionary of Classical Antiquities, New York: Harper & Brothers
- speculum in William Smith et al., editor (1890) A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, London: William Wayte. G. E. Marindin