different between speculation vs certainly

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Old French speculation (compare French spéculation), from Late Latin specul?ti?, specul?ti?nem, from Latin speculor.Morphologically speculate +? -ion

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /?sp?kj??le???n/
• Rhymes: -e???n
• Hyphenation: spec?u?la?tion

Noun

speculation (countable and uncountable, plural speculations)

1. The process of thinking or meditating on a subject.
   • 2012, Caroline Davies, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge announce they are expecting first baby (in The Guardian, 3 December 2012)[1]

     The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge have ended months of intense speculation by announcing they are expecting their first child, but were forced to share their news earlier than hoped because of the Duchess's admission to hospital on Monday.

2. (philosophy) The act or process of reasoning a priori from premises given or assumed.
3. A conclusion to which the mind comes by speculating; mere theory; notion; conjecture.
4. (business, finance) An investment involving higher-than-normal risk in order to obtain a higher-than-normal return.
5. 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.
   • 1776, Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations

     Sudden fortunes, indeed, are sometimes made in such places, by what is called the trade of speculation.

   • 1883, Francis Amasa Walker, Political Economy

     Speculation, while confined within moderate limits, is the agent for equalizing supply and demand, and rendering the fluctuations of price less sudden and abrupt than they would otherwise be.

6. Examination by the eye; view.
7. (obsolete) Power of sight.
8. 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.
9. (programming) The process of anticipating which branch of code will be chosen and executing it in advance.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:supposition

Derived terms

• "on speculation" (on spec) Creating a work with the hope of selling it, as opposed to creating a work "on commission" for hire.

Translations

Anagrams

• peculations, placentious, spinoculate

English

Etymology

certain +? -ly

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?s??n?li/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?s??tn?li/

Adverb

certainly (comparative more certainly, superlative most certainly)

1. In a way which is certain; with certainty.
   • , I.iii.2.2:

     he verily thought he had young live frogs in his belly, qui vivebant ex alimento suo, that lived by his nourishment, and was so certainly persuaded of it, that for many years following he could not be rectified in his conceit.

2. Without doubt, surely.

   • So this was my future home, I thought! Certainly it made a brave picture. I had seen similar ones fired-in on many a Heidelberg stein. Backed by towering hills, […] a sky of palest Gobelin flecked with fat, fleecy little clouds, it in truth looked a dear little city; the city of one's dreams.
3. An emphatic affirmative answer; of course.

Synonyms

• (with certainty): absolutely, beyond doubt, indubitably, sure thing, undoubtedly, wis (obsolete), without a doubt
• (without doubt): definitely, doubtlessly, in fact, indeed, indisputably, indubitably, no doubt, really, sure, surely, truly, undoubtedly, unquestionably, wis (obsolete), without a doubt
• (emphatic affirmative): damn right, damn straight, fo shizzle, for sure, oh yeah, wye aye (dialect)

Coordinate terms

• maybe, possibly, arguably, questionably, probably, perhaps

Derived terms

• soitenly

Translations

References

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