soothsayer

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English[edit]

Alternative forms[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English sothsaier, zothziggere, by surface analysis, sooth (truth) +‎ sayer.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

soothsayer (plural soothsayers)

  1. One who attempts to predict the future, using magic, intuition or intelligence; a diviner.
    • 1951 March, John W. Cline, “The Future of Medicine”, in Northwest Medicine, volume 50, number 3, Portland, Ore.: Northwest Medical Publishing Association, page 165:
      It is a great pleasure to be with you today and to speak to you concerning the future of medicine. In so doing, I do not wish to pose as a soothsayer or crystal gazer.
    • 1988, Shoshana Zuboff, In the Age of the Smart Machine, New York: Basic Books, page 7:
      The past twenty years have seen their share of soothsayers ready to predict with conviction one extreme or another of the alternative futures I have presented.
  2. A mantis (Mantodea spp.)
  3. (obsolete) One who tells the truth; a truthful person.
  4. A double dart moth (Graphiphora augur).

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