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specular

American  
[spek-yuh-ler] / ˈspɛk yə lər /

adjective

  1. pertaining to or having the properties of a mirror.

  2. pertaining to a speculum.

  3. Optics. (of reflected light) directed, as from a smooth, polished surface (diffuse ).

specular British  
/ ˈspɛkjʊlə /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or having the properties of a mirror

    specular reflection

  2. of or relating to a speculum

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • specularly adverb

Etymology

Origin of specular

1570–80; < Latin speculāris, equivalent to specul ( um ) a mirror ( spec ( ere ) to look, regard + -ulum instrumental suffix; -ule ) + -āris -ar 1

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.