spectacle: [14] Spectacle is one of a large family of English words that go back ultimately to Latin specere ‘look’ (a descendant of the Indo- European base *spek- ‘look’, of which a reversed Greek version *skep- gave English sceptic and scope). Others include special, species, spectator [16], spectre [17] (etymologically an ‘appearance’ or ‘image’), spectrum [17] (from Latin spectrum ‘appearance’, ultimate source also of spectre, and first used for the ‘band of colours’ by Isaac Newton around 1671), speculate [16], spite, and spy, not to mention prefixed forms such as aspect [14], auspice, conspicuous [16], espionage, expect, frontispiece, inspect [17], respect, and suspect. Spectacle itself comes via Old French spectacle from the Latin derivative spectāculum ‘show, sight’.
The application to a ‘device for seeing with’, which lies behind English spectacles [15] and its abbreviation specs [19], is a post-Latin development. => auspice, conspicuous, espionage, expect, frontispiece, inspect, respect, special, species, suspect
spectacle (n.)
mid-14c., "specially prepared or arranged display," from Old French spectacle "sight, spectacle, Roman games" (13c.), from Latin spectaculum "a public show, spectacle, place from which shows are seen," from spectare "to view, watch, behold," frequentative form of specere "to look at," from PIE *spek- "to observe" (see scope (n.1)).
双语例句
1. What happens when the two interests collide will make a fascinating spectacle.
两种利益发生冲突时将会上演一场好戏。
来自柯林斯例句
2. It was a spectacle not to be missed.
这是个不容错过的奇观。
来自柯林斯例句
3. 94,000 people turned up for the spectacle.
94,000人参加了这一盛大活动。
来自柯林斯例句
4. He got drunk and made a spectacle of himself in the club.
他喝得酩酊大醉,在俱乐部大出洋相.
来自《简明英汉词典》
5. Hangings took place outside the prison as a public spectacle.
