haruspex
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ha·rus·pex
(hə-rŭs′pĕks′, hăr′ə-spĕks′) also a·rus·pex (ə-rŭs′pĕks′)n. pl. ha·rus·pi·ces (hə-rŭs′pĭ-sēz′) also a·rus·pi·ces (ə-rŭs′pĭ-sēz′)
A priest in ancient Rome who practiced divination by the inspection of the entrails of animals.
[Latin; see gherə- in Indo-European roots.]
ha·rus′pi·cate′ (-pĭ-kāt′) v.
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.
haruspex
(həˈrʌspɛks)n, pl haruspices (həˈrʌspɪˌsiːz)
(Historical Terms) (in ancient Rome) a priest who practised divination, esp by examining the entrails of animals
[C16: from Latin, probably from hīra gut + specere to look]
haruspical adj
haruspicy n
Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014
ha•rus•pex
(həˈrʌs pɛks, ˈhær əˌspɛks)n., pl. ha•rus•pi•ces (həˈrʌs pəˌsiz)
one of a class of ancient Roman diviners who based their predictions on the interpretation of animal entrails, natural prodigies, and unusual meteorological phenomena.
[1575–85; < Latin, =haru-, akin to hīra intestine, Greek chordḗ gut (see chord1) + spec(ere) to look at]
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haruspex
also aruspexnoun
A person who foretells future events by or as if by supernatural means:
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.