haruspex
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
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
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
Even Cato,91 the leader of the orthodox, national, and conservative party, expressed his surprise that a haruspex, when meeting a colleague, did not burst out laughing.
From Lectures on The Science of Language by Müller, Max
Manlius assisted in bringing the animals selected for victims to the haruspex.
From A Christian But a Roman by Jókai, Mór
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.
