speculators
|spec-u-la-tors|
🇺🇸
/ˈspɛkjəleɪtərz/
🇬🇧
/ˈspɛkjʊleɪtəz/
(speculator)
one who looks and guesses (often to profit)
Etymology
'speculator' originates from Latin, specifically the word 'speculator', where the root 'specul-' (from Latin 'speculari' and 'specere') meant 'to look' or 'to observe'.
'speculator' passed into English from Late Latin/Medieval Latin and via French influences; the sense developed through Middle English usage and by the 17th century English had adopted 'speculator' in senses including 'observer' and later 'one who takes financial risks'.
Initially it meant 'one who watches or observes' (or a scout/spy); over time the meaning shifted to include 'one who contemplates' and later specialized to 'one who takes financial risks to gain profit' and 'one who forms conjectures without firm evidence'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
people who engage in financial transactions that carry significant risk in hopes of making a quick profit from short-term price movements.
Speculators drove up the stock price by buying large blocks of shares and selling them quickly.
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Noun 2
people who buy land, property, or goods intending to sell them later at a higher price rather than for immediate use.
Local speculators purchased abandoned lots anticipating new development in the area.
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Noun 3
people who form opinions or theories about something without firm evidence — i.e., conjecturers or people prone to conjecture.
Online forums were full of speculators trying to guess the reason for the sudden outage.
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Last updated: 2026/01/03 18:19