Augur
noun / verb /ˈɔː.ɡər/ — A Roman priest who read omens in nature; to be a sign of what is to come
Definition
As a noun: a Roman religious official who interpreted omens — particularly the flight and behaviour of birds — to determine the will of the gods. As a verb: to be an omen or sign of something; to foretell or predict. 'It augurs well' means the signs are favourable.
Beyond the definition
The ancient art of reading what is already there. The augur's practice was not magic but attention — a trained sensitivity to the signals that the world gives about its own direction. Augury assumes the world is speaking; you only need to learn the language.
Origin & history
From Latin 'augur' — possibly related to 'avis' (bird) + 'garrire' (to talk, to predict). Alternatively from 'augere' (to increase, to grow). The augur was the one who could grow understanding from signs — who made more of what was visible.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
Before any major Roman undertaking — battle, treaty, election — the augurs consulted the birds, and no general moved without favourable signs.
'This augurs well' — the phrase has survived perfectly intact, still carrying the assumption that the present contains information about the future.
The augur's art was the discipline of attention: to read what is, in order to know what is coming.
Synonyms
omen-reader, soothsayer, prophet, diviner, portend
Antonyms
ignorant, unreading, blind to signs
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Illustrative example
Geese Flying in Formation
A flock of Canada geese flies together in a distinct V-shaped formation against a wide, clear blue sky, moving steadily across the space.
Augury traditionally involved interpreting the flight of birds to determine the future. This image captures the classic sight of geese in flight, which is often viewed as a sign or omen; the clear, directional motion provides a visual anchor for the concept of foretelling future events.
Image credit: John Benson · CC BY 2.0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; full composition retained.