augury

[ aw-gyuh-ree ]

noun

plural auguries.

1. the art or practice of an augur; divination.
2. the rite or ceremony of an augur.
3. an omen, token, or indication.

augury

/ ˈɔːɡjʊrɪ /

noun

1. the art of or a rite conducted by an augur
2. a sign or portent; omen

Other Word Forms

• augu·ral adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of augury¹

1325–75; Middle English < Latin augurium soothsaying, equivalent to augur augur ¹ + -ium -ium

Example Sentences

“My life and myself were born under the sea,” she wrote, under the augury of “the star of Aphrodite.”

From Los Angeles Times

“We have a city founded by the auspices and augury,” the Roman historian Livy wrote.

From New York Times

Remarkably, Kushner’s augury of a world coming apart holds true three decades later, including his prognostications about the dangers of climate change and the radical partisanship of the judiciary.

From Washington Post

The original Hammer, in a weird augury of the recently unveiled Orange County Museum of Art’s new facility, opened to the public before the building was finished.

From Los Angeles Times

The film comes to us under equally fine auguries — and auspices.

From Los Angeles Times