speculum
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˈspɛkjələm/
- Specialized
:
espejo
- Viewed in terms of Mies's pursuit of truth in architecture, the Farnsworth House appears as the curved speculum of the cave lifted up from the depths, placed into sunlight, and flattened.
- speculum mirror
- speculum metal
Examples
-
Irigaray's curved speculum is an ambiguous instrument of multiple uses.
Fiction book (1992) -
Stanley looked into the speculum, but saw nothing but roiled darkness, like an endless hole to nowhere.
Fiction book (1994) -
Here I want to allegorize this residence as a glass speculum.
Fiction book (1992) -
It is for this reason that the Romans referred to Lake Nemi as the speculum Dianae, or mirror of Diana.
Academic text (2002) -
There is a risk, though, that the concave speculum might be reinscribed as yet another penetrating device of masculine scopic investigation.
Fiction book (1992) -
Rather than interpret Cixous's harsh screams of a shattered glass body as the necessary destruction of the coded "real" and attempt to similarly demolish the Farnsworth House, we must remember that the glass speculum also pierces the woman's body.
Fiction book (1992) -
The astronomer adjusted the focus of his telescope, which used a speculum as its reflective mirror.
-
To improve light reflection, the scientist polished the speculum that was crucial for his optical experiments.
-
The antique telescope featured a large speculum mirror, which enhanced the clarity of distant celestial objects.
Synonyms
775
1.0
A smooth surface that shows a clear image of things
Surface Forms
Etymology
Speculum comes from the Latin verb specere meaning 'to look' and originally meant 'mirror'. A telescope speculum is a mirror that reflects light, so the name fits and is like words such as spectacle and spectator that are all about seeing.