sooth·say·er

(so͞oth′sā′ər)

One who claims to be able to foretell events or predict the future; a seer.

Word History: The truth is not always soothing, but our verb soothe is related to soothsayer, the word for one who tells the truth, especially beforehand. The archaic adjective and noun sooth, "true, truth," comes from the Old English adjective and noun sōth with the same meanings. The Old English form derives from Germanic *santh-az, "true," which comes from Indo-European *sont-, one of the participles from the Indo-European root -es-, "to be": the truth is that which is. Old English also formed a verb from sōth, namely sōthian, "to confirm to be true." This is the ancestor of soothe; its meaning changed from "to concur to be true, say 'yes' to" to "humor by concurring, placate." Doing the latter on occasion requires something less than the truth.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

soothsayer

(ˈsuːθˌseɪə)

(Alternative Belief Systems) a seer or prophet

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

sooth•say•er

(ˈsuθˌseɪ ər)

n.

a person who foretells events.

[1300–50]

sooth, soothsayer, soothe - Sooth, "true, truth," or "that which is," is part of soothsayer; it is related to soothe, which once meant "assent to be true; say yes to," or "to prove or show a fact to be true."

soothsayer

noun prophet, diviner, oracle, fortune-teller, forecaster, Cassandra, seer, clairvoyant, augur, sibyl, prognosticator, prophesier You don't have to be a soothsayer to predict his likely tactics.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

soothsayer

noun

A person who foretells future events by or as if by supernatural means:

augur, auspex, diviner, foreteller, haruspex, prophesier, prophet, prophetess, seer, sibyl, vaticinator.

Translations

chiromante indovino

soothsayer

[ˈsuːθˌseɪəʳ] N → adivino/a m/f

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

soothsayer

n (old) → Wahrsager(in) m(f)

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

Mentioned in

References in classic literature

Thus did Zarathustra hear a soothsayer speak; and the foreboding touched his heart and transformed him.

The soothsayer, however, shall eat and drink at my side: and verily, I will yet show him a sea in which he can drown himself!"--

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Philip of Macedon dreamed, he sealed up bis wife's belly; whereby he did expound it, that his wife should be barren; but Aristander the soothsayer, told him his wife was with child, because men do not use to seal vessels, that are empty.

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And Dominic Cervoni takes his place in my memory by the side of the legendary wanderer on the sea of marvels and terrors, by the side of the fatal and impious adventurer, to whom the evoked shade of the soothsayer predicted a journey inland with an oar on his shoulder, till he met men who had never set eyes on ships and oars.

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After this the miller saw the skin in which the raven was, lying on the ground, and asked: 'What have you there?' The peasant answered: 'I have a soothsayer inside it.' 'Can he foretell anything to me?' said the miller.

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My mother does indeed sometimes send for a soothsayer and question him, but I give his prophecyings no heed.

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The sea was dark blue, covered with ships full of white sails; and in the barn old women, maidens, and children were sitting picking hops into a large cask; the young sang songs, but the old told fairy tales of mountain-sprites and soothsayers. Nothing could be more charming.

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"Lo, I have seen many wonderful soothsayers and prophets and magicians in my life days, but none be- fore that could sit idle and see to the heart of things with never an incantation to help."

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When her faith wavers, Moxy visits resident soothsayer Lucky Bat (Wang Leehom) and misinterprets his tea leaf reading as a sign to abandon Uglyville and forge her own destiny.

uglydolls (U) HH HHH [...]

The revival of the musical, on its 40th anniversary, stars Sheridan Smith, 38, as the narrator, overseeing Joseph's rise from poor shepherd to the Pharaoh's soothsayer.

Shirl's on dream date

Another type is a cousin of the designated narrator, the 'Soothsayer'.

The new wave of movie-goers

Ben Daimio (Daniel Dae Kim), head of Special Ops for M11, and soothsayer Lady Hatton (Sophie Okonedo) join Hellboy on a mission to slay the crone.

HELL hath no fury like wise [...]