haruspex
Americannoun
plural
haruspicesnoun
Other Word Forms
- haruspical adjective
- haruspicy noun
Etymology
Origin of haruspex
First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin, equivalent to haru- (akin to hīra “intestine”; see chord 1) + spec- (stem of specere “to look at”) + -s nominative singular ending
Explanation
In ancient Rome, a haruspex was someone who told the future using omens they found in the bodies of animals that had been sacrificed to the gods. A particular kind of soothsayer or fortune teller, a haruspex had the distasteful job of examining the internal organs of dead animals. Many ancient civilizations held the belief that messages from the gods, as well as portents of future events, could be found in animals' entrails by a knowledgeable haruspex. The word haruspex means "soothsayer by means of entrails," and is derived from the roots spek, "to observe," and ghere-, "gut or entrail."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In ancient times, there would have been some official haruspex charged with picking over the entrails of a sacrificial offering ahead of any important occasion.
From The Guardian • Jun. 22, 2010
The haruspex put the smoking mass in his hands.
From Saint Augustin by O'Sullivan, Vincent
The complicated art of augury might in fact be dispensed with if you had a haruspex ready and willing at a moment's notice to give you a good report of the victim's liver.
From The Religious Experience of the Roman People From the Earliest Times to the Age of Augustus by Fowler, W. Warde
Vetus autem illud Catonis admodum scitum est, qui mirari se aiebat, quod non rideret haruspex, haruspicem quum vidisset.
From History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Volume II by Dunlop, John
It was a case where neither could say anything to the other, though Cato might wonder quod non rideret haruspex, haruspicem cum vidisset.
From The Book-Hunter A New Edition, with a Memoir of the Author by Burton, John Hill
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
