oracle

CEFRC1

/ˈɔɹəkəl/

noun

Türkçe translations

Translating…

In plain English

  1. 01

    noun

    A person or source believed to give wise predictions or advice.

  2. 02

    noun

    Extra detail

    A person such as a priest through whom the deity is supposed to respond with prophecy or advice.

Examples

  • Oracle bones discovered on this site provide the earliest records of Chinese writing.

  • The oracle was fulfilled.

At a glance

Sits at C1 on the CEFR scale

Senses
5
Parts of speech
1
Citations
5
Synonyms
5

Deep Dive

noun

Extra meanings

  1. A prophetic response, often enigmatic or allegorical, so given.

  2. A shrine dedicated to some prophetic deity.

  3. A person considered to be a source of wisdom.

More examples

In context

  • a literary oracle

  • The oracles are dumb; / No voice or hideous hum / Runs through the arched roof in words deceiving.

  • The several oracles included in this haftarah presumably were uttered at different times to the people in exile, presenting diverse themes and using distinct styles.

Synonyms

Quick test

Two questions on this entry. Nothing is scored.

Question 1 · Quick check

In ancient Greece, the priestess at Delphi was known as the blank who delivered prophecies about the future.

Practise this properly in the app, where the word comes back before you forget it.

Nearby

Origin

noun

From Middle English oracle, from Old French oracle m, from Latin ōrāculum n.