GNU Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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1.       
   Spectacle , n. [F., fr. L. spectaculum, fr. spectare to look at, to behold, v. intens. fr. specere. See Spy.]
   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; a gazingstock.
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   O, piteous spectacle? O, bloody times!
   Shak.
   
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   A spy-glass; a looking-glass. [Obs.]
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   Poverty a spectacle is, as thinketh me,
   Through which he may his very friends see.
   Chaucer.
   
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   pl. 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.
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   pl. Fig.: An aid to the intellectual sight.
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   Shakespeare . . . needed not the spectacles of books to read nature.
   Dryden.
   
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   Syn. -- Show; sight; exhibition; representation; pageant.
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