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speculamore about specula

specula

 

  1  definition  found 
 
  From  Webster's  Revised  Unabridged  Dictionary  (1913)  [web1913]: 
 
  Speculum  \Spec"u*lum\,  n.;  pl  L.  {Specula},  E.  {Speculum}.  [L., 
  fr  specere  to  look  behold.  See  {Spy}.] 
  1.  A  mirror,  or  looking-glass;  especially,  a  metal  mirror,  as 
  in  Greek  and  Roman  arch[ae]ology. 
 
  2.  A  reflector  of  polished  metal,  especially  one  used  in 
  reflecting  telescopes.  See  {Speculum  metal},  below. 
 
  3.  (Surg.)  An  instrument  for  dilating  certain  passages  of  the 
  body,  and  throwing  light  within  them  thus  facilitating 
  examination  or  surgical  operations. 
 
  4.  (Zo["o]l.)  A  bright  and  lustrous  patch  of  color  found  on 
  the  wings  of  ducks  and  some  other  birds.  It  is  usually 
  situated  on  the  distal  portions  of  the  secondary  quills, 
  and  is  much  more  brilliant  in  the  adult  male  than  in  the 
  female. 
 
  {Speculum  metal},  a  hard,  brittle  alloy  used  for  making  the 
  reflectors  of  telescopes  and  other  instruments,  usually 
  consisting  of  copper  and  tin  in  various  proportions,  one 
  of  the  best  being  that  in  which  there  are  126.4  parts  of 
  copper  to  58.9  parts  of  tin,  with  sometimes  a  small 
  proportion  of  arsenic,  antimony,  or  zinc  added  to  improve 
  the  whiteness.




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