Sibylline SIB'YLLINE, a. Pertaining to the Sibyls; uttered, written or composed by the Sibyls.

sibylline adj 1: resembling or characteristic of a prophet or prophecy; "the high priest's divinatory pronouncement"; "mantic powers"; "a kind of sibylline book with ready and infallible answers to questions" [syn: divinatory, mantic, sibylline, sibyllic, vatic, vatical] 2: having a secret or hidden meaning; "cabalistic symbols engraved in stone"; "cryptic writings"; "thoroughly sibylline in most of his pronouncements"- John Gunther [syn: cabalistic, kabbalistic, qabalistic, cryptic, cryptical, sibylline]

sibylline adjective see sibyl

sibylline
adj.
1 of or from a sibyl.
2 oracular; prophetic.
Phrases and idioms:
the Sibylline books a collection of oracles belonging to the ancient Roman State and used for guidance by magistrates etc.
Etymology: L Sibyllinus (as SIBYL)

sibylline sɪˈbɪlaɪn adj. 1 of or from a sibyl. 2 oracular; prophetic. øthe Sibylline books a collection of oracles belonging to the ancient Roman State and used for guidance by magistrates etc. [L Sibyllinus (as SIBYL)]

Sibylline \Sib"yl*line\, a. [L. sibyllinus.] Pertaining to the sibyls; uttered, written, or composed by sibyls; like the productions of sibyls. Sibylline books. (a) (Rom. Antiq.) Books or documents of prophecies in verse concerning the fate of the Roman empire, said to have been purchased by Tarquin the Proud from a sibyl. (b) Certain Jewish and early Christian writings purporting to have been prophetic and of sibylline origin. They date from 100 b. c. to a. d. 500.

look up a word or phrase