sibyl

¹

[ sib-uhl ]

noun

1. any of certain women of antiquity reputed to possess powers of prophecy or divination.
2. a female prophet or witch.

Sibyl

²

or Sib·ylle

[ sib-uhl ]

noun

1. a female given name.

sibyl

/ ˈsɪbɪˌlaɪn; sɪˈbɪlaɪn; ˈsɪbɪl; sɪˈbɪlɪk /

noun

1. (in ancient Greece and Rome) any of a number of women believed to be oracles or prophetesses, one of the most famous being the sibyl of Cumae, who guided Aeneas through the underworld
2. a witch, fortune-teller, or sorceress

Derived Forms

• sibylline, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of sibyl¹

1250–1300; < Greek Síbylla Sibylla; replacing Middle English Sibil < Medieval Latin Sibilla < Greek, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of sibyl¹

C13: ultimately from Greek Sibulla, of obscure origin

Example Sentences

It was deemed a line straight to God — staggering, the voice of an enchantress, a sibyl, a siren.

From Washington Post

Why did he go to so much trouble when the finished sibyl is mostly clothed and must be viewed from a considerable distance below?

From Literature

But not even a sibyl could have made sense of those tiny scraps of paper.

From Literature

Since the mid-1980s, Ms. Cook has reigned as a kind of sibyl channeling the wisdom and humanity of the American songbook, particularly as embodied in the work of Stephen Sondheim.

From New York Times

“A sibyl of a medieval nun. She has guided my life.”

From Literature