Speculate
Origin
From Latin speculÄtus (""), past participle of speculor ("look out"), from specula ("watchtower"), from specio ("look at")
Full definition of speculate
Verb
- (intransitive) To think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to deliberate or cogitate.
- HawthorneIt is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society.
- (intransitive) To make an inference based on inconclusive evidence; to surmise or conjecture.
- 2013-06-07, David Simpson, Fantasy of navigation, It is tempting to speculate about the incentives or compulsions that might explain why anyone would take to the skies in the basket a balloon: perhaps out of a desire to escape the gravity of this world or to get a preview of the next; ….
- (intransitive, business, finance) To make a risky trade in the hope of making a profit; to venture or gamble.