Hypertext Webster Gateway: "Specular"
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Specular \Spec"u*lar\, a. [L. specularis (cf., from the same
root, specula a lookout, watchtower): cf. F. sp['e]culaire.
See {Speculum}.]
1. Having the qualities of a speculum, or mirror; having a
smooth, reflecting surface; as, a specular metal; a
specular surface.
2. (Med.) Of or pertaining to a speculum; conducted with the
aid of a speculum; as, a specular examination.
3. Assisting sight, as a lens or the like. [Obs.]
Thy specular orb Apply to well-dissected kernels;
lo! In each observe the slender threads Of
first-beginning trees. --J. Philips.
4. Affording view. [R.] ``Look once more, ere we leave this
specular mount.'' --Milton.
{Specular iron}. (Min.) See {Hematite}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
specular
adj : capable of reflecting light like a mirror; "mirrorlike
surface of the lake"; "a specular metal" [syn: {mirrorlike}]
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