Augurate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To engage in the practice of foretelling events through signs or omens
2. To make predictions about future occurrences by interpreting signs or omens observed in the environment
3. To foresee possible outcomes by analyzing natural indicators believed to offer insight into events yet to happen

Etymology: The verb "augurate" is a plain formation from Latin, built on the older English noun "augur," which came from Latin "augur," a priest who foretold the future by reading signs such as the flight of birds. In Rome, augurs were a respected college of official diviners, and their work of observing omens gave the Latin language a whole family of words about prediction. The verb itself comes from Latin "augurātus," the past participle of "augurō," meaning "to predict" or "to foretell," so the English form carries the sense of having read the omens. The suffix "-ate" is a common English verb-forming ending taken from Latin, and it is attached to the same root as "augur."

Synonyms: foretell, predict, forecast

Antonyms: ignore, misinterpret