What does "extispicy" mean?

Synonym of haruspicy: the study and divination by use of animal entrails, usually the victims of sacrifice.

What is a synonym for "extispicy"?

Common synonyms include: haruspicy.

Pronounced //ɛkˈstɪspɪsi//.

//ɛkˈstɪspɪsi// noun

noun ·Rare ·Advanced level

Noun

1
Synonym of haruspicy: the study and divination by use of animal entrails, usually the victims of sacrifice. uncountable
"They became experts in what is called extispicy, or the readings of organs of sacrificed animals."
2
A specific instance of such divination. countable
"This image has been interpreted as the performance of “an extispicy on an animal whose flesh the king will later eat.""

"They became experts in what is called extispicy, or the readings of organs of sacrificed animals."

From Latin extispicium, from extispex (“diviner of entrails”) + -ium (forming abstract nouns).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.