oracle

[awr-uh-kuhl, or-]

noun

1. (especially in ancient Greece) an utterance, often ambiguous or obscure, given by a priest or priestess at a shrine as the response of a god to an inquiry.

2. the agency or medium giving such responses.

3. a shrine or place at which such responses were given.

   the oracle of Apollo at Delphi.

4. a person who delivers authoritative, wise, or highly regarded and influential pronouncements.

5. a divine communication or revelation.

6. any person or thing serving as an agency of divine communication.

7. any utterance made or received as authoritative, extremely wise, or infallible.

8. oracles, the Scriptures.

9. the holy of holies of the Biblical Temple built by Solomon in Jerusalem.

oracle

/ ˈɒrəkəl /

noun

1. a prophecy, often obscure or allegorical, revealed through the medium of a priest or priestess at the shrine of a god

2. a shrine at which an oracular god is consulted

3. an agency through which a prophecy is transmitted

4. any person or thing believed to indicate future action with infallible authority

5. a statement believed to be infallible and authoritative

6. Bible

   1. a message from God

   2. the holy of holies in the Israelite temple

Word History and Origins

Origin of oracle¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Old French, from Latin ōrāculum, equivalent to ōrā(re) “to plead” + -culum diminutive noun suffix; oration, -cle ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of oracle¹

C14: via Old French from Latin ōrāculum, from ōrāre to request

Example Sentences

Days later, the Dalai Lama fled the palace, a decision he said was based on divine orders from his personal oracle.

From BBC

Woodburn had the rare ability to be both outrageous and oddly profound - like a foul-mouthed oracle in marigolds.

From BBC

Writer and performer Sandra Tsing Loh had the honors Sunday, and she gamely followed the script’s instructions as though presiding over an evening of charades that an oracle had dreamed up in advance.

From Los Angeles Times

Star Feliz, a New York artist now based in L.A., was exploring the connection between civilian oracles and artificial technologies in their art when they were approached to make a new piece for the show.

From Los Angeles Times

It’s not that I am any kind of oracle.

From Los Angeles Times