spéculer
to speculate
verb spay-ku-LAY Rare
Origin: Latin speculari (to observe, to spy out)
Usage Note
Spéculer covers both financial speculation (spéculer en Bourse, to speculate on the stock market) and intellectual conjecture (spéculer sur les causes d'un phénomène). The noun is spéculation and the person is a spéculateur. In French political discourse, la spéculation financière often carries a negative connotation.
Examples
"Il spécule sur l'immobilier depuis dix ans."
Natural Translation
He has been speculating in property for ten years.
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