SPECTACLE

Spectacle

In general, spectacle refers to an event that is memorable for the appearance it creates. Derived in Middle English from c. 1340 as "specially prepared or arranged display" it was borrowed from Old French spectacle, itself a reflection of the Latin spectaculum "a show" from spectare "to view, watch" frequentative form of specere "to look at." The word spectacle has also been a term of art in theater dating from the 17th century in English drama.

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spectacle

Noun

  1. Something exhibited to view; usually, something presented to view as extraordinary, or as unusual and worthy of special notice; a remarkable or noteworthy sight; a show; a pageant
  2. An exciting exhibition, performance or event.
  3. An embarrassing situation
    He made a spectacle out of himself
  4. An optical instrument consisting of two lenses set in a light frame, and worn to assist sight, to obviate some defect in the organs of vision, or to shield the eyes from bright light.
  5. An aid to the intellectual sight.
  6. A spyglass; a looking-glass.
  7. The brille of a snake.


The above text is a snippet from Wiktionary: spectacle
and as such is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

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