soothsayer

[sooth-sey-er]

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noun

a person who professes to foretell events.

Nearby words

Origin of soothsayer

First recorded in 1300–50, soothsayer is from the Middle English word sothseyere, sothseyer. See sooth, say¹, -er¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for soothsayer

No wonder they were often considered bad omens: no soothsayer could tell when one might appear.
Comet Surfing on a Rocket|Matthew R. Francis|August 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A soothsayer warned Julius Caesar about the Ides of March—a catastrophe looming in the middle of the month.
Memorial Days After Mourning Has Passed|Alex Horton|May 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But soothsayer Simon Cowell, who created and judges the show, saw the future.
One Direction Is a Boy Band That Proves You Can Be Both Famous and Unknown|Kevin Fallon|August 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The Rapture did not come to pass on May 21, but soothsayer Harold Camping has rescheduled it for this Friday.
8 Questions About the New Rapture|David A. Graham|October 20, 2011|DAILY BEAST

The grief of the royal pair is extreme, and they ask the soothsayer for advice what to do.
Essays in the Study of Folk-Songs (1886)|Countess Evelyn Martinengo-Cesaresco
The seat of the soothsayer was placed in an eminent situation, and covered with pillows filled with the softest eider down.
The Pirate|Sir Walter Scott
I am no soothsayer, but I can tell which must go down in the charge, and never to hold up his head again.
The Son of Clemenceau|Alexandre (fils) Dumas
And yet Nicias, would you allow that you are yourself a soothsayer, or are you neither a soothsayer nor courageous?
Laches|Plato
I was sure that the soothsayer was talking about me; that knave knew his business; I heartily commend him to the sex.
My Neighbor Raymond (Novels of Paul de Kock Volume XI)|Charles Paul de Kock

British Dictionary definitions for soothsayer

soothsayer

noun

a seer or prophet

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

Word Origin and History for soothsayer

soothsayer

mid-14c., zoþ ziggere (Kentish), "one who speaks truth,;" late 14c., sothseggere, "fortune-teller;" see sooth + say. Old English had soðsagu "act of speaking the truth."

soothsayer

noun

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Origin of soothsayer

Examples from the Web for soothsayer

soothsayer

noun

soothsayer