augury

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au·gu·ry

(ô′gyə-rē)

n. pl. au·gu·ries

1. The art, ability, or practice of auguring; divination.

2. A sign of something coming; an omen: "The chartist buys when the auguries look favorable and sells on bad omens" (Burton G. Malkiel).

[Middle English augurie, from Old French, from Latin augurium, from augur, augur; see augur.]

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.

augury

(ˈɔːɡjʊrɪ)

n, pl -ries

1. the art of or a rite conducted by an augur

2. a sign or portent; omen

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

au•gu•ry

(ˈɔ gyə ri)

n., pl. -ries.

1. the art or practice of divination from omens or signs.

2. an omen, token, or indication.

[1325–75; Middle English < Latin augurium=augur augur + -ium -ium¹]

au′gu•ral, adj.

augury

1. the art of f oretelling the future by means of signs, originally by the flight of birds; divination.
2. an omen or portent from which the future is foretold. — augur, n. — augurial, adj. — augurous, adj.

augury

Divination based mainly on the appearance and behavior of animals. Haruspicy is sometimes considered part of augury.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

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Noun

augury - an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come; "he hoped it was an augury"; "it was a sign from God"

foretoken, preindication, sign

experience - an event as apprehended; "a surprising experience"; "that painful experience certainly got our attention"

war cloud - an ominous sign that war threatens

omen, portent, prognostic, prognostication, presage, prodigy - a sign of something about to happen; "he looked for an omen before going into battle"

augury

noun

A phenomenon that serves as a sign or warning of some future good or evil:

forerunner, foretoken, omen, portent, prefigurement, presage, prognostic, prognostication, sign.

Idiom: writing on the wall.

Translations

οιωνός οιωνοσκοπία

augurio

augure

augurio auspicio presagio profezia arte della divinazione

augury

[ˈɔːgjʊrɪ] N → augurio m, presagio m
to take the auguries (archaic) → consultar los augurios

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

augury

[ˈɔːgjʊri] n (literary) (= omen) auguries of death → funestes augures mpl

Collins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005

augury

n (= sign) → Anzeichen nt, → Omen nt

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

References in classic literature ?

It dealt in moral and practical maxims, in information on technical subjects which are of service in daily life -- agriculture, astronomy, augury, and the calendar -- in matters of religion and in tracing the genealogies of men.

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Therefore begrudging neither augury Nor other divination that is thine, O save thyself, thy country, and thy king, Save all from this defilement of blood shed.

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In turn I recalled each one I had seen, and tried to draw some augury of assistance from my memory.

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D'Artagnan, from being himself on all great occasions extremely concise, did not draw from the general's conciseness a favorable augury of the result of his mission.

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I am about to precipitate, to sink, to plunge myself into the abyss that is here before me, only to let the world know that while thou dost favour me there is no impossibility I will not attempt and accomplish." With these words he approached the cavern, and perceived that it was impossible to let himself down or effect an entrance except by sheer force or cleaving a passage; so drawing his sword he began to demolish and cut away the brambles at the mouth of the cave, at the noise of which a vast multitude of crows and choughs flew out of it so thick and so fast that they knocked Don Quixote down; and if he had been as much of a believer in augury as he was a Catholic Christian he would have taken it as a bad omen and declined to bury himself in such a place.

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He was not bound, nor had they made any attempt to handcuff him; this seemed a good augury. Besides, had not the deputy, who had been so kind to him, told him that provided he did not pronounce the dreaded name of Noirtier, he had nothing to apprehend?

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The magistrate observed me with a keen eye and of course drew an unfavourable augury from my manner.

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Then a cry of vengeance burst at once, as it might be, from the united lips of the nation; a frightful augury of their ruthless intentions.

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Then, also, the augury of ill-success, uttered from the sure wisdom of experience, fell upon her half-dead hope like a clod into a grave.

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"It is, I fear, nothing more than a part of his general inaccuracy and indisposition to thoroughness of all kinds, which would be a bad augury for him in any profession, civil or sacred, even were he so far submissive to ordinary rule as to choose one."

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At this good augury, and while shuffling the deck, he called to the barkeepers to set up the drinks for the house.

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Sitting upon my throne of augury, As is my wont, where every fowl of heaven Find harborage, upon mine ears was borne A jargon strange of twitterings, hoots, and screams; So knew I that each bird at the other tare With bloody talons, for the whirr of wings Could signify naught else.

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