speculation

Meaning

Noun

• The process of thinking or meditating on a subject.
• The act or process of reasoning a priori from premises given or assumed.
• A conclusion to which the mind comes by speculating; mere theory; notion; conjecture.
• An investment involving higher-than-normal risk in order to obtain a higher-than-normal return.
• The act or practice of buying land, goods, shares, etc., in expectation of selling at a higher price, or of selling with the expectation of repurchasing at a lower price; a trading on anticipated fluctuations in price, as distinguished from trading in which the profit expected is the difference between the retail and wholesale prices, or the difference of price in different markets.
• Examination by the eye; view.
• Power of sight.
• A card game in which the players buy from one another trumps or whole hands, upon a chance of getting the highest trump dealt, which entitles the holder to the pool of stakes.
• The process of anticipating which branch of code will be chosen and executing it in advance.

Origin

• From Middle English speculacioun, speculation, from Old French speculation (compare French spéculation), from Late Latin speculātiō, from Latin speculor.
• Morphologically speculate + -ion