haruspex

[ huh-ruhs-peks, har-uh-speks ]

noun

, plural ha·rus·pi·ces [h, uh, -, ruhs, -p, uh, -seez].

1. (in ancient Rome) one of a class of minor priests who practiced divination, especially from the entrails of animals killed in sacrifice.

haruspex

/ həˈrʌspɪkəl; həˈrʌspɪsɪ; həˈrʌspɛks /

noun

1. (in ancient Rome) a priest who practised divination, esp by examining the entrails of animals

Derived Forms

• haruspical, adjective
• haruspicy, noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of haruspex¹

First recorded in 1575–85; from Latin, equivalent to haru- (akin to hīra “intestine”; chord ¹ ) + spec- (stem of specere “to look at”) + -s nominative singular ending

Word History and Origins

Origin of haruspex¹

C16: from Latin, probably from hīra gut + specere to look

Example Sentences

Cato, the Censor, is on record as saying "that he wondered how one haruspex could look another in the face without laughing!"

From Project Gutenberg

Whereupon, the store of haruspices and augurs that feed upon superstitious Rome were brought in—only to furnish mirth for the court and victims for Tiberius.

From Project Gutenberg

The altar had been erected, the swine sacrificed, and the augurs and haruspices on both sides had predicted nothing but amity and concord.

From Project Gutenberg

In ancient times, there would have been some official haruspex charged with picking over the entrails of a sacrificial offering ahead of any important occasion.

From The Guardian

Even Cato,91 the leader of the orthodox, national, and conservative party, expressed his surprise that a haruspex, when meeting a colleague, did not burst out laughing.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• prognosticator
• seer
• witch