specula
specula — 名詞
1. the plural form of speculum; medical tools used to gently hold open the ear, nos
窺器
撐開體腔以便檢查或治療的醫療器械
the plural form of speculum; medical tools used to gently hold open the ear, nose, vaginal canal, or other body cavities so that a doctor can see or treat the inner area.
The doctor arranged the specula by size on a clean metal tray before the examinations.
醫生在檢查前將各種尺寸的窺器整齊地擺放在乾淨的金屬托盤上。
plural noun; used with 'arranged by size'
Modern disposable specula have reduced the risk of infection in busy clinics.
現代一次性窺器降低了忙碌診所中的感染風險。
collocation: disposable specula
The nurse handed two sterile specula to the physician before the procedure began.
護士在手術開始前遞了兩支無菌窺器給醫師。
Different specula are designed for examining the ear, nose, and other body openings.
不同類型的窺器分別設計用於檢查耳朵、鼻子以及其他身體開口。
用法筆記
Specula is the plural form; the singular is speculum. Frequently appears with adjectives describing material or size: 'disposable specula', 'sterile specula', 'pediatric specula'.
常見錯誤
2. mirrors or highly polished metal surfaces used inside optical instruments such a
反射鏡
光學儀器中反射光線的金屬鏡面
mirrors or highly polished metal surfaces used inside optical instruments such as telescopes and microscopes to reflect and direct light.
The telescope's main specula are polished to a perfect curve for clear night-sky images.
望遠鏡的主要反射鏡經過精密打磨，呈現完美曲線以拍攝清晰的夜空影像。
collocation: main specula; polished to a perfect curve
Precision specula are essential for directing laser beams inside laboratory equipment.
精密反射鏡對於引導實驗室設備中的雷射光束至關重要。
Minh cleaned the antique brass specula carefully, restoring their original shine.
Minh 仔細清理了古董黃銅反射鏡，使其恢復原有的光澤。
Camille adjusted the specula inside the microscope to bring the sample into focus.
Camille 調整了顯微鏡內的反射鏡，讓樣本清楚對焦。
用法筆記
In modern optics, 'mirror' is far more common than specula for everyday instruments. Specula in this sense is largely restricted to technical descriptions of historical or precision instruments.
常見錯誤
3. diagrams or tables showing the positions of every planet in the sky at a particu
星盤
顯示行星位置的占星圖表
diagrams or tables showing the positions of every planet in the sky at a particular moment, used by astrologers to draw up birth charts or make predictions.
The astrologer drew detailed specula showing the planets at the client's moment of birth.
占星師繪製了詳細的星盤，顯示客戶出生那一刻各行星的位置。
verb collocation: drew specula
Ancient Babylonian specula mapped the night sky across the changing seasons.
古巴比倫的星盤記錄了夜空隨季節變化的樣貌。
Tomás compared two specula from different dates to see how the planets had moved.
Tomás 比較了兩個不同日期的星盤，觀察行星如何移動。
Hand-drawn specula from the 1600s are now kept in rare-book collections.
十七世紀手繪的星盤現收藏於古籍特藏室中。
- birth chart
a specific type of specula drawn for the moment of a person's birth; more common in modern astrology
- horoscope
often used interchangeably but more broadly refers to a prediction based on the chart, not the chart itself
- celestial map
a broader term for any astronomical chart of stars and planets, not limited to astrology
4. clearly defined areas of bright color on the secondary wing feathers of some bir
翼斑
鳥類（尤指鴨科）次級飛羽上的色斑
clearly defined areas of bright color on the secondary wing feathers of some birds, especially ducks, often used to identify the species from a distance.
Mallards' bright blue specula are easy to spot when the birds fly past a pond.
綠頭鴨亮藍色的翼斑在飛越池塘時很容易辨認。
collocation: bright blue specula (duck species)
Quinn identified the duck species by the green specula bordered with white on its wings.
Quinn 透過翅膀上帶有白邊的綠色翼斑來辨認這種鴨子。
Birdwatchers use the color and shape of the specula to tell similar duck species apart.
賞鳥者利用翼斑的顏色和形狀來區分不同種類的鴨子。
The male teal flashes iridescent green specula during its short display flight.
公小水鴨在短暫的求偶飛行中，閃耀著彩虹般的綠色翼斑。
- wing patch
a more general term for any colored area on a bird's wing, not specific to secondary feathers
- speculum
the singular form, more commonly used by birdwatchers when describing one bird
用法筆記
In ornithology the singular speculum is far more common than the plural specula, since each bird has one speculum per wing. Use the singular when describing an individual bird.