All 6 Uses of
speculate
in
Anna Karenina
- They're not merchants, you know: they're speculators.†
Part 2 (definition 1)
- Here a Polish speculator bought for half its value a magnificent estate from a young lady who lives in Nice.†
Part 2 (definition 1)
- But he did not pursue the speculation, and without replying, he fell to musing on a quite different and personal matter.
Part 3 (definition 2) *speculation = line-of-thought (to figure why something is so)
- …that the poverty of Russia arises not merely from the anomalous distribution of landed property and misdirected reforms, but that what had contributed of late years to this result was the civilization from without abnormally grafted upon Russia, especially facilities of communication, as railways, leading to centralization in towns, the development of luxury, and the consequent development of manufactures, credit and its accompaniment of speculation—all to the detriment of agriculture.
Part 5 (definition 1)speculation = risky investments
- Malthus was a well-known capitalist, who had made his money by speculation in railway shares.
Part 6 (definition 1)speculation = investment
- Do you call it work to get hold of concessions and speculate with them?
Part 6 (definition 1) *speculate = make money
Definitions:
-
(1) (speculate as in: speculate in the stock market) to take a risk for profit--typically a risky investment
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(2) (speculate as in: don't know, but I'll speculate) to think about, wonder, guess or theorize with much uncertainty