Oracle

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˈɔɹəkəl/

Definitions

1. A person or entity believed to provide wise counsel or prophetic predictions, often associated with divine insight
2. A source of authoritative wisdom or prophetic guidance regarded as infallible or divinely inspired
3. An entity consulted for authoritative answers or predictions, often believed to possess supernatural knowledge or insight

Etymology: The Latin "ōrāculum" came from "ōrāre," meaning "to speak" or "to pray," so an oracle was originally a place or utterance where a god was asked to speak. Ancient Greeks and Romans visited sites such as Delphi, where priestesses delivered answers to questions put to the gods, and the Latin term was used for those sacred pronouncements and the shrines that issued them. English took the word from Old French "oracle," which had itself come from Latin, and it arrived in Middle English. Over time the sense widened from the divine voice itself to anyone or anything regarded as a reliable source of wisdom or foresight. Today the word also appears in computing, where Oracle is the name of a major database company, though that usage is unrelated to the ancient sense.

Synonyms: prophet, seer, diviner, soothsayer, augur

Antonyms: ignorance, uncertainty, doubt, confusion, misinterpretation