Download the app
educalingo
spectacle
" You had to make an appointment to see her. But it was just a crazy spectacle, people filing past."
Eddie Campbell

Meaning of "spectacle" in the English dictionary

DICTIONARY

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD SPECTACLE

Via Old French from Latin spectaculum a show, from spectāre to watch, from specere to look at.
Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF SPECTACLE

ˈspɛktəkəl


GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF SPECTACLE

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
determiner
exclamation
Spectacle is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES SPECTACLE MEAN IN ENGLISH?

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.

Definition of spectacle in the English dictionary

The first definition of spectacle in the dictionary is a public display or performance, esp a showy or ceremonial one. Other definition of spectacle is a thing or person seen, esp an unusual or ridiculous one. Spectacle is also a strange or interesting object or phenomenon.

WORDS THAT RHYME WITH SPECTACLE

ammoniacal · atokal · barnacle · binnacle · cenacle · conceptacle · equivocal · maniacal · miracle · monocle · obstacle · oracle · pentacle · pinnacle · receptacle · reciprocal · superspectacle · tentacle · unequivocal · zodiacal

WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE SPECTACLE

specs · spectacle case · spectacled · spectacles · spectacular · spectacularity · spectacularly · spectate · spectator · spectator sport · spectatorial · spectatorship · spectatrices · spectatrix · spectinomycin · Spector · spectra · spectral · spectral class · spectral luminous efficiency

WORDS THAT END LIKE SPECTACLE

acorn barnacle · black treacle · coenacle · debacle · Delphic oracle · goose barnacle · hibernacle · macle · manacle · spiracle · tabernacle · treacle · unmanacle

Synonyms and antonyms of spectacle in the English dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

SYNONYMS OF «SPECTACLE»

The following words have a similar or identical meaning as «spectacle» and belong to the same grammatical category.

Translation of «spectacle» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF SPECTACLE

Find out the translation of spectacle to 25 languages with our English multilingual translator.

The translations of spectacle from English to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «spectacle» in English.
zh

Translator English - Chinese

奇观
1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator English - Spanish

espectáculo
570 millions of speakers
en

English

spectacle
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator English - Hindi

तमाशा
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator English - Arabic

مشهد
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator English - Russian

зрелище
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator English - Portuguese

espetáculo
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator English - Bengali

প্রদর্শনী
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator English - French

spectacle
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator English - Malay

Tontonan
190 millions of speakers
de

Translator English - German

Spektakel
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator English - Japanese

光景
130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator English - Korean

안경
85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator English - Javanese

Tontonan
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator English - Vietnamese

cảnh
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator English - Tamil

காட்சியை
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator English - Marathi

देखावा
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator English - Turkish

manzara
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator English - Italian

spettacolo
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator English - Polish

widowisko
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator English - Ukrainian

видовище
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator English - Romanian

spectacol
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator English - Greek

θέαμα
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator English - Afrikaans

skouspel
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator English - Swedish

skådespel
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator English - Norwegian

opptog
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of spectacle

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «SPECTACLE»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of spectacle
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our English online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «spectacle».

Examples of use in the English literature, quotes and news about spectacle

EXAMPLES

10 QUOTES WITH «SPECTACLE»

Famous quotes and sentences with the word spectacle.
1
Criss Angel
I like to say magic is the world's second oldest profession, a mystical and often awe-inspiring spectacle that, throughout the ages, has blended superstition, trickery and religion.
2
Walter Bagehot
An ambassador is not simply an agent; he is also a spectacle.
3
Eddie Campbell
You had to make an appointment to see her. But it was just a crazy spectacle, people filing past.
4
Mark Carwardine
The Galapagos Islands are probably the most famous wildlife-watching destination in the world. And no wonder - it's almost impossible to exaggerate the sheer spectacle of the place that provided inspiration for Charles Darwin's ground-breaking theory of natural selection.
5
Rene Cassin
How is it that, once victory took form and the horrible spectacle of the extermination camps was revealed, we could have shamelessly broken the promises given to the peoples in those years of ordeal?
6
David Douglas
A forest of these trees is a spectacle too much for one man to see.
7
John Dyer
St. Michaels Mount is a favourite place of mine; people will walk across to the Mount all day and assume they will be able to walk home. The spectacle of hundreds of people realising that the path they walked over on is disappearing under several feet of water is very amusing.
8
James Ellroy
I was a WASP kid going to a high school that was 99 percent Jewish and I wanted attention and I wanted to make a spectacle of myself because I couldn't stand to be ignored.
9
Martin Filler
Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers's Centre Georges Pompidou of 1971-1977 - the true prototype of the modern museum as popular architectural spectacle - wound up costing so much more than planned that the French government solved the shortfall by cutting support for several regional museums.
10
Garet Garrett
The spectacle of a great, solvent government paying a fictitious price for gold it did not want and did not need and doing it on purpose to debase the value of its own paper currency was one to astonish the world.

10 ENGLISH BOOKS RELATING TO «SPECTACLE»

Discover the use of spectacle in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to spectacle and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in English literature.
1
Lynching and Spectacle: Witnessing Racial Violence in ...
Amy Wood explains what it meant for white Americans to perform and witness these sadistic spectacles and what they derived from them.
Amy Louise Wood, 2009
2
The Third Eye: Race, Cinema, and Ethnographic Spectacle
Informed by Rony's close involvement with contemporary art practice and documentary film production, this fascinating book breaks with familiar genres of academic writing to provide an exciting new take on practices of ethnographic looking, ...
Fatimah Tobing Rony, 1996
3
Media Spectacle
This is cultural criticism and media analysis at its best.
Douglas Kellner, 2003
4
The Spectacle of Women: Imagery of the Suffrage Campaign 1907-14
In this comprehensive and pathbreaking study, Lisa Tickner discusses and illustrates the suffragist use of spectacle—the design of banners, posters and postcards, the orchestration of mass demonstrations—in an unprecedented propaganda ...
Lisa Tickner, 1988
5
Suspensions of Perception: Attention, Spectacle, and Modern ...
Suspensions of Perception is a major historical study of humanattention and its volatile role in modern Western culture.
Jonathan Crary, 2001
6
Gladiators and Caesars: The Power of Spectacle in Ancient Rome
Describes the events and games held in the amphitheaters, cicuses, and theaters in ancient Rome.
Eckart Köhne, Cornelia Ewigleben, Ralph Jackson, 2000
7
The Gẹ̀lẹ̀dẹ́ Spectacle: Art, Gender, and Social Harmony in ...
This is followed by a discussion of the iconography and aesthetics of costume, and an examination of the sculpted images on the masks.
Babatunde Lawal, 1996
8
Fascist Spectacle: The Aesthetics of Power in Mussolini's Italy
Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi reads fascist myths, rituals, images, and speeches as texts that tell the story of fascism.
Simonetta Falasca-Zamponi, 1997
9
College Football: History, Spectacle, Controversy
As college football grew in the booming economy of the 1920s, Watterson explains, the flow of cash added fuel to an already explosive mix.
John Sayle Watterson, 2002
10
Female Spectacle: The Theatrical Roots of Modern Feminism
They created powerful images of themselves as ambitious, independent, and sexually expressive "New Women." "Female Spectacle" reveals the theater to have been a powerful new source of cultural authority and visibility for women.
Susan A. Glenn, 2009

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «SPECTACLE»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term spectacle is used in the context of the following news items.
1
AFL spectacle 'more critical than it's ever been' due to threat of …
Australian football legend Leigh Matthews has warned the AFL that the league's "spectacle is more critical" than it has ever been, with football's "monopoly on ... «The Age, Jul 15»
2
Las Vegas' Bellagio fountain to stage Kabuki act in August
Kabuki Spectacle will take place each night from August 14 through August 16. Shows are at 9:15 p.m. each night and at 11:30 p.m. on August 15 and 16. «KVVU Las Vegas, Jul 15»
3
Theater spectacle lifts art
The “Grand Spectacle” show transitioned from act to act with lights, bubble machines, and performers that moved around the plaza. “But we always return back ... «Toledo Blade, Jun 15»
4
'Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga,' by Pamela Newkirk
With “Spectacle,” however, Newkirk eschews the self-serving mythologies that have presented Benga's exhibition as voluntary and benign. She relentlessly ... «New York Times, Jun 15»
5
Cine Gear Expo: Brad Bird Urges Theater Owners to Create …
I think exhibitors should head back in the direction of spectacle.” He made these remarks during a panel and opening night screening of his sci-fi fantasy ... «Hollywood Reporter, Jun 15»
6
WATCH: Family celebrates 25th year of greatest spectacle in …
INDIANAPOLIS – The Greatest Spectacle in Racing is history for this year. But the greatest spectacle in backyard events ramped up Monday. PREVIOUS | 2014: ... «WRTV Indianapolis, May 15»
7
Snakes on the Plains: Manitoban 'spectacle' is one-of-a-kind
But this snake spectacle attracts thousands of people from around the world. Every spring tens of thousands of red-sided garter snakes emerge from hibernation ... «The Weather Network, May 15»
8
An Ingenious Spectacle Of Live Action And Animation
Theatre company 1927 give the answer with an overwhelmingly inventive, charming and thought-provoking spectacle: Golem. This might not be news, as the ... «Londonist, Apr 15»
9
Bruce Jenner: Transgender advocates wary of spectacle taking shape
The spectacle has transgender advocates alarmed. The speculation and jokes about Jenner's body and gender identity, they say, are profoundly disrespectful ... «Los Angeles Times, Apr 15»
10
Neymar: Barcelona vs PSG in the Champions League will be a real …
Barcelona star Neymar feels his team's Champions League tie with Paris Saint-Germain will prove a real footballing 'spectacle'. The Brazil international is ... «Daily Mail, Apr 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Spectacle [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-en/spectacle>. May 2024 ».
Download the educalingo app
EN