Etymologically
Log in

augur

This is the current revision of this entry, as edited by bogdan on 13 October 2026 at 18:24. This address is a permanent link to this version.
Changes in this edit History

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

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