augur

Pronunciation

• IPA: /ˈɔːɡə/ (UK); /ˈɔɡɚ/, /ˈɑɡɚ/ (US)^[1]

Etymology

It is borrowed from Latin augur, the title of a Roman religious official who foretold events from omens.^{[2][3][4][5][6]} The Latin word is probably related to Latin augēre (“to increase”),^[3][5][6][4] perhaps first meaning an increase in crops brought about by ritual.^[3][4] An older and more popular theory derives it from Latin avis (“bird”), since birds were watched for omens.^[4] The verb is from the noun and from Latin augurārī (“to predict from omens”).^[3]

Earliest recorded meaning

A Roman official whose duty was to read omens and advise on public business (1549).^[7][4] Merriam-Webster and Barnhart date the noun to the 14th century.^[5][3]

Semantic evolution

The Roman title was extended to any soothsayer or prophet by 1593.^[7] The verb, “to predict from signs”, followed in 1601,^[7][3][5][4] and from 1826 things as well as people could augur, in the sense “to be a sign of”.^[7][4] The phrases augur well and augur ill date from the late 18th century.^[7]

Timeline

• before 1393 – first recorded, per Barnhart.^[3]
• 1540s – a Roman diviner.^[4][7][6]
• 1593 – any soothsayer or prophet.^[7]
• 1601 – verb, to predict from omens.^[7][3][5]
• 1788 – of things, to give good or bad promise.^[7]
• 1826 – to betoken or portend.^[7][4]

Modern meaning

Noun

1. (history) An official of ancient Rome who interpreted omens to guide public affairs.
2. A seer or prophet; a soothsayer.

Verb

1. To predict, especially from signs or omens.
2. To be a sign of something to come; to bode.

Word family

• augural
• augury

Related words

• auspice
• inaugurate
• augment
• august

References

1. ^ Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (1992), 3rd ed., Boston: Houghton Mifflin
3. ^ a b c d e f g h Barnhart, Robert K., ed. (1995), The Barnhart Concise Dictionary of Etymology, New York: HarperCollins
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Harper, Douglas. Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com
5. ^ a b c d e Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (2003), 11th ed., Springfield, Mass.: Merriam-Webster
6. ^ a b c Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary (1999), 2nd ed., New York: Random House
7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Simpson, J. A.; Weiner, E. S. C., eds. (1989), The Oxford English Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Clarendon Press