auspex

Forms

auspex m (genitive auspicis); third declension^[1]

Etymology

It is a compound of avis (“bird”) and -spex (“who looks”), from speciō (“to look”); de Vaan derives it from ⟨*au̯i-speks⟩, as auceps “bird-catcher” is from ⟨*au̯i-kaps⟩.^[2][3][4] The first part goes back to Proto-Italic *awi- (“bird”) and Proto-Indo-European *h₂eu-i- (“bird”), the second to Proto-Italic *speks (“who sees”) and Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- (“who sees”).^[2]

Earliest recorded meaning

De Vaan and Köbler date it from Plautus,^[2][5] who uses it of the functionary at a wedding: a bride will go to be married without waiting for the auspices.^[3][6]

Semantic evolution

Its first sense is the one who takes omens from the flight, cries or feeding of birds, an augur or diviner;^[3][4] Lewis & Short note that it is much rarer than augur in this literal sense.^[3][4] Cicero names the proposers and auspices of a law, and Pliny the Elder transfers it to the birds themselves, calling the cocks the auspices of all Rome's victories.^[3] At a wedding the auspex was a functionary, apparently once the one who took the auspices;^[3][6] Cicero has a mother-in-law marry her son-in-law with no auspices and no witnesses.^[3][6] From this it came to mean a patron or supporter: Virgil has sacrifices offered to the gods as patrons of work begun.^[3] The scholia on Juvenal explain it as the groomsman.^[6]

Timeline

• c. 250–184 BC – Plautus of the wedding auspex.^[3][2][5]
• 81–43 BC – Cicero of the auspices of a law.^[3]
• 70–19 BC – Virgil of gods as patrons.^[3]
• 23/24–79 AD – Pliny the Elder of cocks as auspices.^[3]

Meanings

Noun

1. One who takes omens from birds, an augur, diviner.^[3][4][1]
2. A functionary at a wedding.^[3][6]
3. A patron, supporter.^[3][4]

Word family

• auspicālis
• auspicium
• auspicor

Related words

• haruspex
• avis
• speciō
• auceps

References

1. ^ a b c d Wiktionary, the free dictionary, https://en.wiktionary.org
2. ^ a b c d de Vaan, Michiel (2008), Etymological Dictionary of Latin and the other Italic Languages, Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series 7, Leiden; Boston: Brill
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Glare, P. G. W., ed. (2012), Oxford Latin Dictionary, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press
4. ^ a b c d e Lewis, Charlton T.; Short, Charles (1879), A Latin Dictionary, Oxford: Clarendon Press
5. ^ a b Köbler, Gerhard (2010), Lateinisches Abkunfts- und Wirkungswörterbuch für Altertum und Mittelalter, online ed., koeblergerhard.de
6. ^ a b c d e Thesaurus linguae Latinae (1900–), Leipzig: Teubner; Berlin: De Gruyter; open-access ed., Munich: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften