Augury
noun ·Uncommon ·College level
Definitions
- 1 A divination based on the appearance and behaviour of animals. countable, uncountable
- 2 an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come wordnet
- 3 An omen or prediction; a foreboding; a prophecy. broadly, countable, uncountable
"In Wordsworth's first preludings there is but a dim foreboding of the creator of an era. From Southey's early poems, a safer augury might have been drawn."
- 4 An event that is experienced as indicating important things to come. countable, uncountable
"Evidently he did not mean to be a mere figurehead, but to carry on the old tradition of Wilsthorpe's; and that was considered to be a good thing in itself and an augury for future prosperity."
Example
More examples""But hence, and seek the palace of the queen. / Glad news I bear thee, of thy comrades brought, / the North-wind shifted and the skies serene; / thy ships have gained the harbour which they sought, / else vain my parents' lore the augury they taught.""
Etymology
From augur + -y, or from Middle English augurie, from Old French augurie, from Latin augurium.
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Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.