All 3 Uses of
speculate
in
Lord of the Flies
- Their heads clustered above the trunks in the green shade; heads brown, fair, black, chestnut, sandy, mouse-colored; heads muttering, whispering, heads full of eyes that watched Ralph and speculated.
p. 18.9speculated = wondered
- Again he fell into that strange mood of speculation that was so foreign to him. If faces were different when lit from above or below—what was a face?
p. 78.1speculation = thought
- A theological speculation presented itself.
p. 161.2 *speculation = theory
Definitions:
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(1)
(speculate as in: don't know, but I'll speculate) to think about, wonder, guess or theorize with much uncertainty
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(2)
(speculate as in: speculate in the stock market) to take a risk for profit--typically a risky investment
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(3)
(meaning too rare to warrant focus) Much more rarely, speculation can refer to a gambling card game that was popular in the past.