Oracles

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person or medium believed to provide divine insights or prophecies; a source of wise counsel or predictions for the future; the act of interpreting signs or omens to reveal hidden knowledge or foresight
2. A prophetic figure or institution through which deities speak to mortals; a place known for delivering predictions or guiding decisions; the practice of deciphering messages believed to originate from a spiritual realm
3. Individuals regarded as interpreters of the will of deities; locations designated for receiving and offering prophecies; the skill of explaining cryptic messages or visions linked to fate and fortune

Etymology: "Oracles" is the plural of "oracle," and the singular carries a Latin idea of speech: "ōrāculum" came from "ōrāre," to speak or pray, so an oracle was first a place or voice where a god's answer was spoken. The word reached English in Middle English through Old French "oracle," which kept the same sense of a divine message delivered to a petitioner. The plural form simply counts multiple such sources or pronouncements, whether shrines, priests, or the answers they gave. Over time the word also loosened from the sacred setting, so people now call any unusually wise or authoritative figure an oracle, though the core idea of a hidden answer given by a higher power remains.

Synonyms: prophets, seers