Speakur

Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

speculum

/ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.47 in modern English

Syllables
specu-lum
IPA
/ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/
14
Scrabble Score
8
Letters
2
Syllables
7
Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A medical instrument used during an examination to dilate an orifice.

noun

A mirror, especially one used in a telescope.

noun

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.

noun

A lookout place.

Etymology

Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti Proto-Italic *spekjō Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-trom Proto-Indo-European *-tlom Proto-Italic *-klom Latin speculumlbor. English speculum Learned borrowing from Latin speculum.

Regional Pronunciation

  • American English: /ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/
  • British English: /ˈspɛk.jʊ.ləm/

Inflected Forms

specula (plural) speculums (plural)

Phrases

speculum metal speculum literature

Frequently Paired Words

speculum literature

Synonyms

mirror beauty spot

Questions

How do you pronounce speculum?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/.
What does speculum mean?
A medical instrument used during an examination to dilate an orifice.
Where does speculum come from?
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- Proto-Indo-European *-yeti Proto-Indo-European *spéḱyeti Proto-Italic *spekjō Proto-Indo-European *-tḗr Proto-Indo-European *-trom Proto-Indo-European *-tlom Proto-Italic *-klom Latin speculumlbor. English speculum Learned borrowing from Latin speculum.

How to pronounce speculum

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “speculum”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “speculum”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “speculum” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.