soothsaying

[sooth-sey-ing]

See more synonyms for soothsaying on Thesaurus.com

noun

the practice or art of foretelling events.
a prediction or prophecy.

Origin of soothsaying

First recorded in 1525–35; sooth + saying

soothsay

[sooth-sey]

verb (used without object), sooth·said, sooth·say·ing.

to foretell events; predict.

Origin of soothsay

First recorded in 1600–10; back formation from soothsayer

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for soothsaying

apocalypse, prognosis, revelation, augury, forecast, cast, prognostication, vision, oracle, vaticination, presage, divination, prevision

Examples from the Web for soothsaying

Historical Examples of soothsaying

As already indicated, the Irulas, like the Yerukalas, indulge in soothsaying.
Castes and Tribes of Southern India
Edgar Thurston
Among these, the practice of soothsaying by bones is remarkable.
Wanderings in Corsica, Vol. 1 of 2
Ferdinand Gregorovius
This was separation from the ritual and from the implements of soothsaying.
The Expositor's Bible: The Book of the Twelve Prophets, Vol. I
George Adam Smith
So then she had known—she had spoken the truth in her soothsaying that day so long ago!
The Magnificent Adventure
Emerson Hough
Birds, in soothsaying; wisdom shown by; tree which is a natural snare for.
Essays and Miscellanies
Plutarch

British Dictionary definitions for soothsaying

soothsay

verb -says, -saying or -said

(intr) to predict the future

Derived Formssoothsaying, noun

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 soothsaying

soothsay

c.1600, back-formation from soothsayer. As a noun from 1540s.