<! p. 1381 !>
Spe"cious (?), a. [L. speciosusgood-looking, beautiful, specious, fr.
species look, show, appearance; cf. F. spécoeux. See Species.] 1.
Presenting a pleasing appearance; pleasing in form or look; showy.
Some [serpents] specious and beautiful to the eye.
Bp. Richardson.
The rest, far greater part, Will deem in outward rites and specious
forms Religion satisfied.
Milton.
2. Apparently right; superficially fair, just, or correct, but not so
in reality; appearing well at first view; plausible; as, specious
reasoning; a specious argument.
Misled for a moment by the specious names of religion, liberty, and
property.
Macaulay.
In consequence of their greater command of specious expression.
J. Morley.
Syn. -- Plausible; showy; ostensible; colorable; feasible. See
Plausible.
-- Spe"xious*ly (#), adv. -- Spe"cious*ness, n.
Speck (?), n. [Cf. Icel. spik blubber, AS. spic, D. spek, G. speck.]
The blubber of whales or other marine mammals; also, the fat of the
hippopotamus.
Speck falls (Naut.), falls or ropes rove through blocks for hoisting
the blubber and bone of whales on board a whaling vessel.
Speck, n. [OE. spekke, AS. specca; cf. LG. spaak.] 1. A small
discolored place in or on anything, or a small place of a color
different from that of the main substance; a spot; a stain; a blemish;
as, a speck on paper or loth; specks of decay in fruit. "Gray sand,
with black specks." Anson.
2. A very small thing; a particle; a mite; as, specks of dust; he has
not a speck of money.
Many bright specks bubble up along the blue Egean.
Landor.
3. (Zoöl.) A small etheostomoid fish (Ulocentra stigmæa) common in the
Eastern United States.
Speck, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Specked (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Specking.] To
cause the presence of specks upon or in, especially specks regarded as
defects or blemishes; to spot; to speckle; as, paper specked by
impurities in the water used in its manufacture.
Carnation, purple, azure, or specked with gold.
Milton.
Spec"kle (?), n. [Dim. of speck; cf. D. spikkel.] A little or spot in
or anything, of a different substance or color from that of the thing
itself.
An huge great serpent, all with speckles pied.
Spebser.
Spec"kle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Speckled (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Speckling
(?).] To mark with small spots of a different color from that of the
rest of the surface; to variegate with spots of a different color from
the ground or surface.
Spec"kled (?), a. Marked or variegated with small spots of a different
color from that of the rest of the surface.
Speckled Indians (Ethnol.), the Pintos. -- Speckled trout. (Zoöl.) (a)
The common American brook trout. See Trout. (b) The rainbow trout.