Delphic oracle
the oracle of Apollo at Delphi, noted for giving ambiguous answers.
Words Nearby Delphic oracle
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use Delphic oracle in a sentence
The Bible is not a book of puzzles, a Delphic oracle, to be read in any way suited to the occasion or desires.
The Other Side of Evolution | Alexander PattersonOn his death the Delphic oracle, in very second-rate hexameters, declared that Plotinus had become a demon.
Letters on Literature | Andrew LangThe Delphic oracle pronounced Socrates the wisest of mankind.
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, February 1883 | The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific CircleHe was commanded by God, through the Delphic oracle, to offer her up as a sacrifice.
Bible Myths and their Parallels in other Religions | T. W. DoaneOn a voyage to consult the Delphic oracle, he was shipwrecked.
The Lusiad | Lus de Cames
British Dictionary definitions for Delphic oracle
the oracle of Apollo at Delphi that gave answers held by the ancient Greeks to be of great authority but also noted for their ambiguity: Related word: Pythian
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Cultural definitions for Delphic oracle
The most famous oracle in Greece, and the location of a temple of Apollo; it was also known as the oracle of Delphi. At the oracle, a priestess went into a trance, supposedly breathed vapors from a cleft in the rocks, and delivered messages from Apollo to persons who sought her advice. These messages were often difficult to interpret.
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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