soothsaying

[sooth-sey-ing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR soothsaying ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the practice or art of foretelling events.

a prediction or prophecy.

Nearby words

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. 2019

Examples from the Web for soothsaying

This clearly indicates the use of these Tonalamatls in soothsaying.
Commentary on the Maya Manuscript in the Royal Public Library of Dresden|Ernst Frsteman
His house was really a place of illicit meeting, and the soothsaying was often but an excuse for going there.
When Knighthood Was in Flower|Charles Major
The Babylonians pretended to great skill in astrology, soothsaying, and magic.
The Mysteries of All Nations|James Grant
But even at those times ambitious thoughts did not desert him; so he turned the hunting into a kind of predicting or soothsaying.
The Pharaoh and the Priest|Alexander Glovatski

They, when they are full of the spirit of soothsaying, having eaten of the wan honey, delight to speak forth the truth.
The Homeric Hymns|Andrew Lang

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.

soothsaying

noun

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of soothsaying

soothsay

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

Origin of soothsay

Examples from the Web for soothsaying

soothsay

verb -says, -saying or -said

soothsay