speculum

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   a medical instrument used to hold open a body passage so that its interior can be examined

   The clinician warmed the speculum before beginning the examination.

2. 2
   noun

   a usually iridescent patch on the secondary wing feathers of a duck or certain other birds

   The mallard flashed a blue speculum as it stretched its wings.

3. 3
   noun

   a mirror or polished reflecting surface, especially one used in an optical instrument

   The early telescope used a metal speculum rather than a glass mirror.

A learned borrowing from Latin speculum, mirror, from specere, to look at. The reflecting-object sense is original; medicine applied the name to instruments that expose a cavity to view, while ornithology used it for a glossy, mirrorlike wing patch.

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