speculum
Americannoun
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a mirror or reflector, especially one of polished metal, as on a reflecting telescope.
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Surgery. an instrument for rendering a part accessible to observation, as by enlarging an orifice.
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Ornithology. a lustrous or specially colored area on the wings of certain birds.
noun
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a mirror, esp one made of polished metal for use in a telescope, etc
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med an instrument for dilating a bodily cavity or passage to permit examination of its interior
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a patch of distinctive colour on the wing of a bird, esp in certain ducks
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of speculum
1590–1600; < Latin: mirror, equivalent to spec ( ere ) to look, behold + -ulum instrumental suffix; see -ule
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bianca says she asked the nurse to use a smaller speculum after reading about it online.
From BBC • Feb. 1, 2025
“The parts that hurt for some patients — just placing the speculum is uncomfortable — placing the tenaculum is the first part that's not just pressure that can sometimes feel sharp,” Espey told Salon.
From Salon • Aug. 14, 2024
I was in the middle of examining a patient when I dropped my speculum.
From Washington Post • Mar. 24, 2022
In recent years, there have been petitions to rename the instrument commonly known as the Sims vaginal speculum, a tool used daily by obstetricians and gynecologists to observe the cervix.
From New York Times • Sep. 21, 2021
Another English optician, Cassegrain, improved on this design somewhat by placing the secondary mirror inside the focus of the speculum, or nearer to it, so that the tube is shorter.
From Astronomy: The Science of the Heavenly Bodies by Todd, David Peck
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
