Wordie [wûrd • ē]
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25 wordies list
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first listed by:
stpeter (3448 words)
appears in these lists:
battle's Words, by battle
i heart words, by roblord
Dain's Words, by Dain
suzyg's Words, by suzyg
Predictionary, by whichbe
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The Augur (pl: augurs) was a priest and official in the classical world, especially ancient Rome. His main role was to interpret the will of the gods by studying the flight of the birds (flying in groups/alone, what noises they make as they fly, direction of flight and what kind of birds they are), known as "taking the auspices." The ceremony and function of the augur was central to any major undertaking in Roman society--public or private--including matters of war, commerce, and religion.
The derivation of the word augur is uncertain; ancient authors believed that it contained the words avi and gero --Latin for "directing the birds"--but historical-linguistic evidence points instead to the root aug-, "to increase, to prosper."
_Wikipedia