speculated; speculating
Definition of speculate
1a
: to meditate on or ponder a subject : reflect
b
: to review something idly or casually and often inconclusively
2
: to assume a business risk in hope of gain
especially
: to make a relatively risky investment in something (such as stocks or real estate) in the hope of making a large short-term profit from market fluctuations
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for speculate
The first known use of speculate was in 1599
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