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diviner

[dih-vahy-ner]
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noun
  1. a person who divines; soothsayer; prophet.
  2. a person skilled in using a divining rod.
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Origin of diviner

1300–50; divine + -er1; replacing Middle English divinour < Anglo-French < Late Latin dīvīnātor soothsayer, equivalent to Latin dīvīnā(re) to divine + -tor -tor

divine

[dih-vahyn]
adjective, di·vin·er, di·vin·est.
  1. of or relating to a god, especially the Supreme Being.
  2. addressed, appropriated, or devoted to God or a god; religious; sacred: divine worship.
  3. proceeding from God or a god: divine laws; divine guidance.
  4. godlike; characteristic of or befitting a deity: divine magnanimity.
  5. heavenly; celestial: the divine kingdom.
  6. extremely good; unusually lovely: He has the most divine tenor voice.
  7. being a god; being God: Zeus, Hera, and other divine beings in Greek mythology.
  8. of superhuman or surpassing excellence: Beauty is divine.
  9. Obsolete. of or relating to divinity or theology.
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noun
  1. a theologian; scholar in religion.
  2. a priest or member of the clergy.
  3. the Divine,
    1. God.
    2. (sometimes lowercase)the spiritual aspect of humans; the group of attributes and qualities of humankind regarded as godly or godlike.
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verb (used with object), di·vined, di·vin·ing.
  1. to discover or declare (something obscure or in the future) by divination; prophesy.
  2. to discover (water, metal, etc.) by means of a divining rod.
  3. to perceive by intuition or insight; conjecture: She divined personal details about her customers based on their clothing and accents. It was not difficult to divine his true intent.
  4. Archaic. to portend.
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verb (used without object), di·vined, di·vin·ing.
  1. to use or practice divination; prophesy.
  2. to have perception by intuition or insight; conjecture.
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Origin of divine

1275–1325; Middle English < Latin dīvīnus, equivalent to dīv(us) god + -īnus -ine1; replacing Middle English devin(e) < Old French devin < Latin, as above
Related formsdi·vin·a·ble, adjectivedi·vine·ly, adverbdi·vine·ness, nounhalf-di·vine, adjectivehalf-di·vine·ly, adverbpre·di·vin·a·ble, adjectivepseu·do·di·vine, adjectivesub·di·vine, adjectivesub·di·vine·ly, adverbsub·di·vine·ness, nounsu·per·di·vine, adjectiveun·di·vin·a·ble, adjectiveun·di·vined, adjectiveun·di·vin·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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13, 17. foretell, predict, foresee, forecast. 15, 18. discern, understand.

Antonyms

5. worldly, mundane.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

sibyl, seer, mystic, augur, oracle, soothsayer, clairvoyant, prophetess

Examples from the Web for diviner

Historical Examples

  • The word Uma means head, and Uillac, a councillor and diviner.

    Apu Ollantay

    Anonymous

  • It appeared that Samdad had once acted as diviner on a similar occasion.

  • The philosopher asks the diviner to tell what is holy and what impiety.

  • In renunciation we thus restore to self its own diviner mind.

  • They have found that their lives were diviner than they knew.

British Dictionary definitions for diviner

divine

adjective
  1. of, relating to, or characterizing God or a deity
  2. godlike
  3. of, relating to, or associated with religion or worshipthe divine liturgy
  4. of supreme excellence or worth
  5. informal splendid; perfect
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noun
  1. the divine (often capital) another term for God
  2. a priest, esp one learned in theology
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verb
  1. to perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight
  2. to conjecture (something); guess
  3. to discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power
  4. (tr) to search for (underground supplies of water, metal, etc) using a divining rod
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Derived Formsdivinable, adjectivedivinely, adverbdivineness, noundiviner, noun

Word Origin

C14: from Latin dīvīnus, from dīvus a god; related to deus a god
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

Word Origin and History for diviner

divine

adj.

c.1300, from Old French devin (12c.), from Latin divinus "of a god," from divus "a god," related to deus "god, deity" (see Zeus). Weakened sense of "excellent" had evolved by late 15c.

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divine

v.

"to conjure, to guess," originally "to make out by supernatural insight," mid-14c., from Old French deviner, from Vulgar Latin *devinare, dissimilated from *divinare, from Latin divinus (see divine (adj.)), which also meant "soothsayer." Related: Divined; diviner; divining. Divining rod (or wand) attested from 1650s.

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divine

n.

c.1300, "soothsayer," from Old French devin, from Latin divinus (adj.); see divine (adj.). Meaning "ecclesiastic, theologian" is from late 14c.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper