# spectacle

Pronunciation: US say "SPEK-tuh-kuhl" /ˈspɛktəkl̩/; UK

## Noun

1. An exciting or extraordinary scene, exhibition, or performance that draws people to watch it.
   - Simple: A grand or exciting sight that many people gather to watch.
   - _The opening ceremony was a spectacle of light, music, and acrobatics._
   - _Tourists travel for miles to witness the spectacle of the migrating herds._
2. An embarrassing or unedifying scene or situation, especially one that attracts unwanted attention.
   - Simple: An embarrassing or shameful scene that makes other people stare.
   - _The argument in the lobby became a spectacle that everyone pretended not to watch._
   - _He drank too much and made a spectacle of himself at the wedding._
3. Attributive form of spectacles. — Attributive form of spectacles.
   - Simple: Attributive form of spectacles. Use this before a noun to describe something to do with eyeglasses.
   - _The museum displayed an antique spectacle case made of carved ivory._
   - _The optician adjusted the spectacle frames until they sat evenly._
4. The transparent scale, formed from fused eyelids, that covers and protects a snake's eye.
   - Simple: The clear scale that covers and protects a snake's eye.
   - _The veterinarian examined the cloudy spectacle covering the python's eye._
   - _Each spectacle is shed along with the rest of the snake's skin._
5. A frame holding differently colored lenses on a railroad semaphore signal, through which a lamp shines at night, often forming part of the signal arm.
   - Simple: A frame of colored glass on a railroad signal that a lamp shines through at night.
   - _The signalman checked that the spectacle aligned correctly with the lamp behind it._
   - _As the arm dropped, the spectacle moved a green lens in front of the light._

## Origin

From Middle English spectacle, borrowed from Middle French spectacle, from Latin spectāculum ("a show, spectacle"). This came from spectō ("to see, behold"), a frequentative form of speciō ("to see").

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/spectacle (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).