haruspex
[ huh-ruhs-peks, har-uh-speks ]
/ həˈrʌs pɛks, ˈhær əˌspɛks /
noun, plural ha·rus·pi·ces [huh-ruhs-puh-seez] /həˈrʌs pəˌsiz/.
(in ancient Rome) one of a class of minor priests who practiced divination, especially from the entrails of animals killed in sacrifice.
Also
aruspex.
Origin of haruspex
1575–85; < Latin, equivalent to
haru- (akin to
hīra intestine; see
chord1) +
spec- (stem of
specere to look at) +
-s nominative singular ending
Words nearby haruspex
Example sentences from the Web for haruspex
British Dictionary definitions for haruspex
haruspex
/ (həˈrʌspɛks) /
noun plural haruspices (həˈrʌspɪˌsiːz)
(in ancient Rome) a priest who practised divination, esp by examining the entrails of animals
Derived forms of haruspex
haruspical (həˈrʌspɪkəl), adjective haruspicy (həˈrʌspɪsɪ), nounWord Origin for haruspex
C16: from Latin, probably from
hīra gut +
specere to look