Spectacle
WordNet
noun
(1) A blunder that makes you look ridiculous; used in the phrase `make a spectacle of' yourself
(2) An elaborate and remarkable display on a lavish scale
(3) Something or someone seen (especially a notable or unusual sight)
"The tragic spectacle of cripples trying to escape"
WiktionaryText
Etymology
From < < < , frequentative of ; see species.
Noun
- 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.
- A spyglass; a looking-glass.
- Chaucer
- Poverty a spectacle is, as thinketh me, Through which he may his very friends see.
- Chaucer
- 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.
- An aid to the intellectual sight.