speculate(动词):推测;猜测;臆测(在证据不充分时对未来或未知情况作判断);也可指投机(买卖)(较少用在日常学习语境中)。
/ˈspɛkjəˌleɪt/
I can only speculate about what happened.
我只能推测发生了什么。
Analysts speculate that the company will expand into Asia after the merger, although no official plan has been announced.
尽管尚未公布官方计划,分析人士推测该公司将在并购后扩展到亚洲市场。
源自拉丁语 speculārī,意为“观察、窥视、探查”,与“看”(spec- 词根,如 spectator 旁观者、inspect 检查)有关。由“观察”引申为“在信息不足时作推断”,再发展出“投机”的含义(基于判断进行风险性押注)。