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Prophesy
Definitions
- 1 Obsolete spelling of prophecy; now a misspelling. alt-of, countable, obsolete, uncountable
"I take it néedles, and booteles to make ouer déepe, or ſcrupulous enquiry into euery moſt auncient, and obſolete antiquitie: I preſuppoſe it ſufficient to peruſe, and examine the moſt famous, and moſt autentique ſuppoſed propheſies, that haue curranteſt paſſage, and repaſſage in moſt mouthes, and bookes: conſidering how eaſily euerie indifferent man may proportionably make eſtimation of the woorſe, by the better, and ratably value the one by the other."
- 1 To speak or write with divine inspiration; to act as prophet.
"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:"
- 2 deliver a sermon wordnet
- 3 To predict, to foretell (with or without divine inspiration).
"Then I perceive that will be verified Henry the Fifth did sometime prophesy ‘If once he come to be a cardinal, He’ll make his cap co-equal with the crown.’"
- 4 predict or reveal through, or as if through, divine inspiration wordnet
- 5 To foreshow; to herald; to prefigure.
"Methought thy very gait did prophesy A royal nobleness. I must embrace thee."
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- 6 To speak out on the Bible as an expression of holy inspiration; to preach. intransitive
"1646, Jeremy Taylor, Of the Liberty of Prophesying, Section 4, in Treatises of 1. The liberty of prophesying, 2. Prayer ex tempore, 3. Episcopacie: together with a sermon, London: R. Royston, 1648, p. 73, […] if we consider that we have no certain wayes of determining places of difficulty and Question, infallibly and certainly […] we shall see a very great necessity in allowing a liberty in Prophesying without prescribing authoritatively to other mens consciences, and becomming Lords and Masters of their Faith."
Etymology
From Middle English prophecien; partly from prophecie, and partly from Middle French prophecier, prophesier, from prophecie (“prophecy”). Doublet of prophecy.
From Middle English prophecie.
See also for "prophesy"
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