Standard Lemma guide

speculum

noun · 6 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • UK: /ˈspɛk.jʊ.ləm/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • General-American, UK: /ˈspɛk.jə.ləm/

1

noun

Meaning 1

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

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A mirror, especially one used in a telescope.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

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.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: biology, natural-sciences, ornithology

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: mirror, beauty spot

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A lookout place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

a medical instrument for dilating a bodily passage or cavity in order to examine the interior

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: medical instrument

6

noun

Meaning 6

a mirror (especially one made of polished metal) for use in an optical instrument

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: mirror

History

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.

Across languages

Translations

17 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: спекулум (spekulum) — medical instrument
  • Catalan: espècul — medical instrument
  • Catalan: espèculum — medical instrument
  • Dutch: eendenbek — medical instrument
  • Dutch: speculum — medical instrument
  • Esperanto: spegulumo — medical instrument
  • French: spéculum — medical instrument
  • Icelandic: spegill — medical instrument
  • Icelandic: slanga — medical instrument
  • Latin: specillum — medical instrument
  • Polish: wziernik — medical instrument
  • Spanish: espéculo — medical instrument
  • Finnish: siipipeili — patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds
  • German: Flügelspiegel — patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds
  • Japanese: 翼鏡 (yokukyō) — patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds
  • Low German: Flunkenspegel — patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds
  • Swedish: vingspegel — patch of colour found on the wings of ducks and some other birds
Real reading context

speculum in complete knowledge articles