haruspex
[ huh-ruhs-peks, har-uh-speks ]
/ həˈrʌs pɛks, ˈhær əˌspɛks /
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noun, plural ha·rus·pi·ces [huh-ruhs-puh-seez]. /həˈrʌs pəˌsiz/.
(in ancient Rome) one of a class of minor priests who practiced divination, especially from the entrails of animals killed in sacrifice.
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Also a·rus·pex [uh-ruhs-peks] /əˈrʌs pɛks/ .
Origin of haruspex
First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin, equivalent to haru- (akin to hīra “intestine”; see chord1) + spec- (stem of specere “to look at”) + -s nominative singular ending
Words nearby haruspex
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Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
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British Dictionary definitions for haruspex
haruspex
/ (həˈrʌspɛks) /
noun plural haruspices (həˈrʌspɪˌsiːz)
(in ancient Rome) a priest who practised divination, esp by examining the entrails of animals
Derived forms of haruspex
haruspical (həˈrʌspɪkəl), adjectiveharuspicy (həˈrʌspɪsɪ), nounWord Origin for haruspex
C16: from Latin, probably from hīra gut + specere to look
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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