Has anyone seen this use of the word prospective? What does it mean?
(From a newspaper, regarding Hurricane Katrina's destruction of off-shore oil-drilling platforms.)
quote:
Post-Katrina, companies will have to continue to weigh relative risks when deciding whether to invest in the ultra-deep Gulf, West Africa, or the Caspian. The rocks under the Gulf are highly prospective, and companies will carry on applying cpital and ingenuity to developing the resourse
I've never seen it used that way, but just as a prospector searches for something, I suppose that certain terrain could suggest the prospect of having whatever the prospector seeks.
Yes, but: does 'higly prospective' imply good prospects? Or does it mean "just a prospect"; that is, speculative, a mere hope? Those two meanings are almost opposites, and for the life of me I can't figure out what the author means.
