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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

hartshorn, hart's-tongue, harum-scarum, Harun al-Rashid, Harunobu, haruspex, haruspicy, Harvard, Harvard beets, Harvard chair, Harvard classification
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to haruspex

prognosticator, seer, witch, augur, diviner, medium, oracle, prophet, sibyl, soothsayer, telepathist, visionary, astrologer, auspex, bard, clairvoyant, druid, forecaster, fortuneteller, magus

How to use haruspex in a sentence

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), noun

Word Origin for haruspex

C16: from Latin, probably from hīra gut + specere to look
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
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