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
Cato, the Censor, is on record as saying "that he wondered how one haruspex could look another in the face without laughing!"
From Wind and Weather by McAdie, Alexander
Thy hallowed augurs can divine Whate'er dark song the birds of omen sing; Of augury thou art the king, And thy wise haruspex finds meaning fit For what the gods have in the victims writ.
From The Elegies of Tibullus Being the Consolations of a Roman Lover Done in English Verse by Williams, Theodore C.
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
Thereupon, Roman haruspex looked into the eyes of Roman haruspex, and they both laughed.
From The House of Mystery An Episode in the Career of Rosalie Le Grange, Clairvoyant by Irwin, Will
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.
