Oracling

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. The process of providing divinations or insights into future occurrences involves seeking knowledge from a divine source
2. The act of delivering predictions or messages believed to come from a supernatural source
3. The practice of revealing future events or hidden truths through mystical or divine communication

Etymology: "Oracling" is the present participle and gerund of "oracle," so it describes the act of delivering the prophecies themselves. The noun it comes from traces back through Old French "oracle" to Latin "ōrāculum," a place where gods were consulted or the answer given, built on "ōrāre," to speak or pray. The Latin sense was concrete before it was figurative. An "ōrāculum" was the shrine or sacred spot where a deity could be asked questions, and the reply, delivered through a priest, a medium, or signs, was what the word came to name. From there the meaning widened from the holy place and its answer to any pronouncement that seemed to carry divine authority, and eventually to anyone speaking in that manner.