auspex
Origin of auspex
Words nearby auspex
MORE ABOUT AUSPEX
What does auspex mean?
An auspex was an Ancient Roman official who acted as soothsayer or priest and was responsible for interpreting omens to guide decisions.
The plural of auspex is auspices.
The Ancient Roman auspices were highly respected religious officials. They were consulted by lawmakers and other leaders prior to major events such as wars and the founding of colonies.
The word augur can mean the same thing, and it is also used as a general term for any prophet, oracle, or soothsayer.
Example: The emperor was known for never taking action before consulting the auspices.
Where does auspex come from?
The first records of the word auspex come from the 1590s. It comes from the Latin auspex, meaning “bird watcher” or “soothsayer,” from avis, “bird,” and specere, “to look.”
The Roman auspices formed many of their predictions by interpreting the flight patterns of birds. The related word auspice means “a favorable sign” or “a divination or prognostication, such as from observing birds.” This is where we get the adjective auspicious, meaning “favorable” or “fortunate.”
The related word haruspex refers to an Ancient Roman soothsayer, especially one who interpreted the entrails of animals.
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What are some other forms related to auspex?
- auspices (plural)
What are some synonyms for auspex?
What are some words that share a root or word element with auspex?
What are some words that often get used in discussing auspex?
How is auspex used in real life?
Auspex is not commonly used outside of the context of Ancient Roman history.
Future generations are going to look at our polling of an uninformed & apathetic populace the way we look at the ancient Roman auspices.
— James VanLaningham (@jdvanlaningham) January 28, 2014
Just saw hawk land in my yard, plucking the hell out of a dead crow. Surely an omen of something. I need a haruspex. Or better, an auspex.
— Maria Dahvana Headley (@MARIADAHVANA) April 13, 2012
I've figured it out. Bird seed guy is an auspex. He's figuring out the city's portents for the day every time he gathers the sparrows.
— Si Shanty (@mersipan) February 22, 2018
Try using auspex!
Is auspex used correctly in the following sentence?
The senators consulted the auspex before the vote.
How to use auspex in a sentence
Governments worked under the auspices of the United Nations to craft the 1987 Montreal Protocol, which strictly limited the manufacture of chlorofluorocarbons.
How did we get here? The roots and impacts of the climate crisis|Alexandra Witze|March 10, 2022|Science NewsCritics say this is a step toward censorship, and that negative posts shouldn’t be removed under the auspices of protecting users from misinformation.
How Indians are crowdsourcing aid as covid surges|Varsha Bansal|April 28, 2021|MIT Technology ReviewMuch of what I did under the auspices of research involved simply walking around and looking more closely at the historical residue I had spent my entire life passing by.
With the caution of a veteran auspex, he evaded a direct reply.
Uncle Sam|Albert Mathews