different between pontificate vs speculate

English

Etymology 1

From Latin pontificatus, from pontifex (“high priest”), from pons (“bridge”) + facere (“make”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p?n?t?f?k?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p??n?t?f?k?t/

Noun

pontificate (plural pontificates)

1. The status or term of office of a pontiff or pontifex.

Translations

Etymology 2

From the past participle stem of mediaeval Latin pontificare (“pontificate”), from Latin pontifex (“high priest”), from pons (“bridge”) + facere (“make”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /p?n?t?f?ke?t/
• (US) IPA^(key): /p??n?t?f?ke?t/

Verb

pontificate (third-person singular simple present pontificates, present participle pontificating, simple past and past participle pontificated)

1. (intransitive) To preside as a bishop, especially at mass.
2. (intransitive) To act like a pontiff; to express one's position or opinions dogmatically and pompously as if they were absolutely correct.
3. (intransitive) To speak in a patronizing, supercilious or pompous manner, especially at length.

Translations

Italian

Verb

pontificate

1. second-person plural present indicative of pontificare
2. second-person plural imperative of pontificare
3. feminine plural of pontificato

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin specul?tus, past participle of speculor (“look out”), from specula (“watchtower”), from speci? (“look at”)

Verb

speculate (third-person singular simple present speculates, present participle speculating, simple past and past participle speculated)

1. (obsolete, intransitive) To think, meditate or reflect on a subject; to consider, to deliberate or cogitate.

   • It is remarkable that persons who speculate the most boldly often conform with the most perfect quietude to the external regulations of society.

2. (intransitive) To make an inference based on inconclusive evidence; to surmise or conjecture.
3. (intransitive, business, finance) To make a risky trade in the hope of making a profit; to venture or gamble.
4. (intransitive, programming) To anticipate which branch of code will be chosen and execute it in advance.

Related terms

• species
• spectacle
• spectacular
• speculation
• speculative
• speculator

Translations

Further reading

• speculate in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• speculate in The Century Dictionary, New York, N.Y.: The Century Co., 1911.

Anagrams

• peculates

Italian

Verb

speculate

1. second-person plural present indicative of speculare
2. second-person plural imperative of speculare
3. feminine plural of speculato

Latin

Pronunciation

• (Classical) IPA^(key): /spe.ku?la?.te/, [s?p?k????ä?t??]
• (Ecclesiastical) IPA^(key): /spe.ku?la.te/, [sp?ku?l??t??]

Participle

specul?te

1. vocative masculine singular of specul?tus