Where does “speculation” come from?
speculation (Old French) comes from Late Latin speculatio, from Latin speculor, from Latin specula, from Latin spes, from Proto-Italic spēs, from Proto-Indo-European spéh₁s, from Proto-Indo-European speh₁- — to succeed, to prosper.
Ancestry of “speculation”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Late Latin | speculatio | watching, spying; inspection, scrutiny;... |
| 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 “speculation”