Question

What does spectacle mean in the following sentence? The performers who juggled with fire torches were a true spectacle to the large circus crowd. 3

Answer 1

This is referring to the "spectacle" that is defined as "a visually striking performance or display." There are homophones for this word however I do not believe those are of any importance here.

Answer 2

In this context, the word spectacle has a positive connotation and it refers to a show that creates a striking appearance that makes it memorable to an audience. The word come from the Latin, spectaculum, which means, literally, a show, and this Latin word itself comes from the Latin verb, spectare, which means: to watch, to look at, to view.