Where does “speculate” come from?
Speculate comes from Latin speculatus, past participle of speculor, derived from specula meaning watchtower, from specio meaning to look, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European speḱ- meaning to observe.
speculate (English): To think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to...
Definitions
- To think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to...
Ancestry of “speculate”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Latin | speculātus | — |
| 2 | Latin | speculor | I watch, I observe; I examine, I explore; I spy |
| 3 | Latin | specula | watchtower, lookout; nominative plural of... |
| 4 | Latin | spes | hope; expectation, anticipation, apprehension |
| 5 | Proto-Italic | spēs | hope |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | spéh₁s | prosperity, success |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | speh₁- | to succeed, to prosper |
Words derived from “speculate”