Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

augur

/ˈoːɡə/

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.48 in modern English

Syllables: au-gur
IPA: /ˈoːɡə/

6

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

4

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.

noun

An official who interpreted omens before the start of public events.

verb

To foretell events; to exhibit signs of future events; to indicate a favorable or an unfavorable outcome.

Example Sentences

"Augur of ill, whoſe tongue was never found / Without a prieſtly curſe, or boding ſound; [...]"
"It was an ancient tradition, that when the Capitol was founded by one of the Roman kings, the god Terminus (who presided over boundaries, and was represented, according to the fashion of that age, by a large stone) alone, among all the inferior deities, refused to yield his place to Jupiter himself. A favorable inference was drawn from his obstinacy, which was interpreted by the augurs as a sure presage that the boundaries of the Roman power would never recede."
"Every circumstance augured success."
"Recent events do not augur well for world peace."
"The train was well filled, with quite an amount of intermediate business; but station staff and passengers alike seemed ready enough to "look lively", and the result was a general "slickness" in working that augers^([sic]) well for the future."
"But there, too, the meteorological omens augured ill."

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin augur, of uncertain origin; akin to augurō (“interpret omens”).

Origin

Source language: Latin

Word Breakdown

Root: augur

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈoːɡə/
British English: /ˈɔːɡə/

Inflected Forms

augurs (plural) augurs (present, singular) auguring (participle, present) augured (participle, past) augured (past)

Derived Forms

augurate augurism augurize augurship augural augury

Synonyms

auspex bode portend auspicate prognosticate omen presage betoken foreshadow foretell prefigure forecast

Homonyms

auger see also AGA

Rhymes With

blogger auger mauger maugre

Questions

How do you pronounce augur?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈoːɡə/.
What does augur mean?: A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.
Where does augur come from?: It is traced to Latin.

How to pronounce augur

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