Meaning of oracle in English

Table of contents
  1. Pronunciation
  2. Noun
    1. Etymology
    2. Definitions

  1. Pronunciation

    /ˈɔrək(ə)l/

    US accent Play button

    UK accent Play button

  1. Noun

    oracle

    Etymology

    late Middle English: via Old French from Latin oraculum, from orare‘speak’

    Definitions

    1. an authoritative person who divines the future

    Derived terms

  2. 2. a prophecy (usually obscure or allegorical) revealed by a priest or priestess

    Examples

    • « believed to be infallible »
  3. 3. a shrine where an oracular god is consulted

Famous quotes

  • « Poetry is the utterance of deep and heart-felt truth - the true poet is very near the oracle. »
    Edwin Hubbel Chapin
  • « Beauty is the oracle that speaks to us all. »
    Luis Barragan
  • « The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us. »
    Paul Valery

Browse dictionary