Specular

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ˈspɛk.jʊ.lə/

Definitions

1. Pertaining to the reflective qualities of surfaces resembling mirrors, this term describes materials that exhibit high brightness and clarity in light reflection
2. Having characteristics of a surface that reflects light clearly like a mirror
3. Describing a material or surface that produces sharp and bright reflected images

Etymology: Latin "speculum" meant "mirror," and it came from "specere," "to look at." That verb is the root of a whole family of English words about seeing, from "spectacle" to "inspect," so "specular" is a mirror-word built on the idea of looking. The adjective "specularis" in Latin described things related to a mirror, and English took it over with the same core sense: something that reflects light the way a looking-glass does. The word has a second Latin source, "speculari," meaning "to watch" or "to observe." This is the verb behind "speculate," which once carried the sense of spying or keeping watch before it came to mean guessing. Because "specular" draws on both roots in different senses, it can slide between the literal image of a mirror and the older idea of observation. Some later uses of the word arrived through French "spéculaire," which is why certain technical senses show French influence rather than coming straight from Latin.

Synonyms: reflective, mirrored, glossy

Antonyms: dull, matte, non-reflective