soothsayer
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sooth·say·er
(so͞oth′sā′ər)n.
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)n
(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]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
See also related terms for prove.
Farlex Trivia Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Noun | 1. | ![]() astrologer, astrologist - someone who predicts the future by the positions of the planets and sun and Moon fortune teller, fortuneteller - a person who foretells your personal future |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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
nounA person who foretells future events by or as if by supernatural means:
augur, auspex, diviner, foreteller, haruspex, prophesier, prophet, prophetess, seer, sibyl, vaticinator.
The American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
soothsayer
[ˈsuːθˌseɪəʳ] N → adivino/a m/fCollins 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