spekulieren

to speculate

verb shpeh-koo-LEE-ren Rare

Origin: from Latin 'speculari' (to observe)

Also means

to gamble on markets

Usage Note

spekulieren in finance means to take on significant risk in hopes of large gain, e.g. an der Börse spekulieren = to speculate on the stock market. It carries a slightly negative connotation compared to investieren.

Examples

"Er spekulierte auf fallende Aktienkurse."

Natural Translation

He was speculating on falling share prices.

Literal Translation

He speculated on falling share-prices.

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