speculum

noun

spec·u·lum ˈspe-kyə-ləm

plural specula ˈspe-kyə-lə

also speculums

: an instrument inserted into a body passage especially to facilitate visual inspection or medication

: a drawing or table showing the relative positions of all the planets (as in an astrological nativity)

: a patch of color on the secondaries of most ducks and some other birds

Example Sentences

Recent Examples on the Web Heier held May’s left eye open with the tongs of a metal speculum, gave her antiseptic and numbing eye drops, and then pressed on her eye with a Q-tip for 30 seconds to decompress it before deftly injecting the drug. —

Ryan Cross, BostonGlobe.com, 29 Mar. 2023 When Steven Williams, MD, was a plastic surgery resident in the early 2000s, nose job essentials included a scalpel, a nasal speculum, and a mold depicting the size and shape the post-surgery nose should be. —

Sierra Leone Starks, Allure, 22 Mar. 2023 Another wears a tiara created out of a speculum—a device Sims invented for vaginal exams. —

Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 May 2022 Some said the doctor did not use a speculum or gloves during exams. —

Becky Jacobs, The Salt Lake Tribune, 2 May 2022 The classification attributed to this size speculum is an historic [sic] name and used industry-wide in and outside the UK. —

Sophia Smith Galer, refinery29.com, 13 Apr. 2022 The classification attributed to this size speculum is a historic name and used industry-wide in and outside the UK. —

Sophia Smith Galer, refinery29.com, 11 Apr. 2022 Some women said the doctor did not use a speculum during exams. —

Becky Jacobs, The Salt Lake Tribune, 23 Mar. 2022 Sims is also credited with developing the modern speculum and procedures for examining women. —

al, 28 Feb. 2022 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'speculum.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.