speculum

American  

[spek-yuh-luhm] / ˈspɛk yə ləm /

noun

plural

specula, speculums

1. a mirror or reflector, especially one of polished metal, as on a reflecting telescope.

2. speculum metal.

3. Surgery. an instrument for rendering a part accessible to observation, as by enlarging an orifice.

4. Ornithology. a lustrous or specially colored area on the wings of certain birds.

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speculum British  

/ ˈspɛkjʊləm /

noun

1. a mirror, esp one made of polished metal for use in a telescope, etc

2. med an instrument for dilating a bodily cavity or passage to permit examination of its interior

3. a patch of distinctive colour on the wing of a bird, esp in certain ducks

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Etymology

Origin of speculum

1590–1600; < Latin: mirror, equivalent to spec ( ere ) to look, behold + -ulum instrumental suffix; see -ule

Example Sentences

Then, a speculum is used to identify the cervix.

From Salon • Aug. 14, 2024

During a cervical cancer test, a doctor will use a speculum to open the vagina and insert a small brush or spatula to scrape cell samples from the cervix at the entrance to the uterus.

From BBC • Aug. 24, 2023

An exam confirmed that she needed two wolf teeth extracted and the sharp edges of some molars ground down, procedures that required propping her jaws open with a speculum.

From New York Times • Apr. 20, 2023

They’ve noted that the type of speculum he claimed to invent had long been in use by others and that some of procedures he utilized were not really his, or were dangerous.

From Washington Post • Oct. 1, 2021

A white patch under the eye; head and neck black, lustrous with violet and green; back black; scapulars, great wing-coverts, speculum, and under parts, white; bill black; irides golden yellow; feet orange, with black membranes.

From British Birds in their Haunts by Johns, Rev. C. A.

Related Words

• glass