Adjacent Words

Augur definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

AU'GUR, n. [L. augur. The first syllable is from avis, a fowl; but the meaning and origin of the last syllable are not obvious.]
1. Among the Romans, an officer whose duty was to foretell future events by the singing, chattering, flight and feeding of birds. There was a college or community of augers, originally three in number, and afterwards nine, four patricians, and five plebeians. They bore a staff or wand, and were held in great respect.
2. One who pretends to foretell future events by omens.
We all know that augur cannot look at augur without laughing.
AU'GUR, v.i. To guess; to conjecture by signs or omens; to prognosticate.
AU'GUR, v.t. To predict or foretell; as, to augur ill success.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: (ancient Rome) a religious official who interpreted omens to guide public policy [syn: augur, auspex] v
1: indicate by signs; "These signs bode bad news" [syn: bode, portend, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict]
2: predict from an omen

Merriam Webster's

I. noun Etymology: Latin; akin to Latin aug?re Date: 14th century 1. an official diviner of ancient Rome 2. one held to foretell events by omens II. verb Date: 1601 transitive verb 1. to foretell especially from omens 2. to give promise of ; presage <higher pay augurs a better future> intransitive verb to predict the future especially from omens

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v. 1 intr. a (of an event, circumstance, etc.) suggest a specified outcome (usu. augur well or ill). b portend, bode (all augured well for our success). 2 tr. a foresee, predict. b portend. --n. a Roman religious official who observed natural signs, esp. the behaviour of birds, interpreting these as an indication of divine approval or disapproval of a proposed action. Derivatives: augural adj. Etymology: L

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Augur Au"gur, n. [L. Of uncertain origin: the first part of the word is perh. fr. L. avis bird, and the last syllable, gur, equiv. to the Skr. gar to call, akin to L. garrulus garrulous.] 1. (Rom. Antiq.) An official diviner who foretold events by the singing, chattering, flight, and feeding of birds, or by signs or omens derived from celestial phenomena, certain appearances of quadrupeds, or unusual occurrences. 2. One who foretells events by omens; a soothsayer; a diviner; a prophet. Augur of ill, whose tongue was never found Without a priestly curse or boding sound. --Dryden.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Augur Au"gur, v. i. [imp. & p. p. Augured; p. pr. & vb. n. Auguring.] 1. To conjecture from signs or omens; to prognosticate; to foreshow. My auguring mind assures the same success. --Dryden. 2. To anticipate, to foretell, or to indicate a favorable or an unfavorable issue; as, to augur well or ill.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Augur Au"gur, v. t. To predict or foretell, as from signs or omens; to betoken; to presage; to infer. It seems to augur genius. --Sir W. Scott. I augur everything from the approbation the proposal has met with. --J. F. W. Herschel. Syn: To predict; forebode; betoken; portend; presage; prognosticate; prophesy; forewarn.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(augurs, auguring, augured) If something augurs well or badly for a person or a future situation, it is a sign that things will go well or badly. (FORMAL) The renewed violence this week hardly augurs well for smooth or peaceful change... = bode VERB: V adv for n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. n. Soothsayer, seer, prophet, fortuneteller. II. v. n. 1. Prophesy, conjecture, predict, guess. 2. Portend, prognosticate, give token. III. v. a. Portend, forebode, presage, foreshow, foreshadow, prognosticate, betoken, foretell, predict, prophesy, be ominous of.

Foolish Dictionary

One who bored the ancients with prophecies.

Moby Thesaurus

Cassandra, Druid, adumbrate, argue, astrologer, bespeak, betoken, bid fair to, bode, calamity howler, crystal gazer, divinator, divine, diviner, divineress, forebode, forecast, forecaster, foreknower, foreseer, foreshadow, foreshow, foreshower, foreteller, foretoken, fortuneteller, geomancer, haruspex, hint, imply, indicate, intimate, mean, omen, palmist, point to, portend, predict, predictor, prefigure, prefigurer, preindicate, presage, presager, presign, presignal, presignify, pretypify, prognosticate, prognosticator, promise, prophesier, prophesy, prophet, prophet of doom, prophetess, psychic, pythoness, religious prophets, seer, seeress, shadow forth, signify, soothsay, soothsayer, spell, suggest, token, typify, vates, vaticinate, weather prophet