soothsay
English
[edit]Etymology
[edit]Formed as a back-formation from soothsayer or soothsaying,[1][2] equivalent to sooth + say. Compare Old English sōþseċġan (“to say truly, declare”).
Pronunciation
[edit]- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈsuθˌseɪ/
Verb
[edit]soothsay (third-person singular simple present soothsays, present participle soothsaying, simple past and past participle soothsaid)
- (intransitive) To foretell the future; make predictions.
Related terms
[edit]Noun
[edit]soothsay (plural soothsays)
- Soothsaying; prediction; prognostication; prophecy.
- A portent; an omen.
References
[edit]- ^ “soothsay, v.”, in OED Online
, Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
- ^ “soothsay, n.”, in OED Online , Oxford: Oxford University Press, launched 2000.
