oraclen.

Brit.

/ˈɒrəkl/, U.S.

/ˈɔrək(ə)l/

Forms: Middle English– oracle, 1600s orackle, 1600s orrackle, 1900s– oricle (irregular).

Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French oracle.

Etymology: < Middle French, French oracle place where the gods were supposed to speak (c1165 in Old French), divine revelation (c1275–80), message delivered by an oracle (1530), opinion regarded as authoritative (1546), person of great wisdom (1549), god or interpreter who delivers oracles (1552), the holy of holies (1672; compare Anglo-Norman oracle (mid 14th cent. or earlier in this sense)) < classical Latin ōrāculum (also ōrāclum ) interpreter who delivers oracles, place where the gods were supposed to speak, message delivered by an oracle, utterance of great wisdom, in post-classical Latin also holy of holies (Vulgate), divine revelation (4th cent.), an imperial rescript (Justinian Institutiones, 5th cent.), papal injunction (6th cent.) < ōrāre orate v. + -culum -cule suffix; compare -cle suffix. Compare slightly later oraculum n. Compare Italian oracolo (14th cent.), Spanish oráculo (c1440), Portuguese oráculo (16th cent.).

I. Classical History.

a. In ancient Greece and Rome: the instrument, agency, or medium (usually a priest or a priestess) through which the gods were supposed to speak or prophesy; the mouthpiece of the gods. Also: the place at which such advice or prophecy was sought.

ΘΚΠ

the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > oracle of

oraclec1425

oratorya1522

oracler1584

society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > inspiration or revelation > [noun]

lightOE

lightingOE

inspiration1303

illuminationsc1340

inyettingc1340

revelationc1384

oraclec1425

revealingc1429

informationc1450

infusionc1450

illustrationc1480

gospel1481

aspirationc1534

illuminating1561

afflation1576

entheos1594

enthusiasm1595

flame-light1611

illapse1614

inspirement1616

spiration1629

respirationa1631

irradiation1631

income1647

afflatus1649

theopneustian1660

entheasm1752

prana1785

inflation1835

theopneusty1847

inflatusa1861

theopneustia1894

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > medium or mouthpiece of the deity, oracle

oraclec1425

oraculumc1450

oratorya1522

oratoura1522

oracler1584

trivet1587

tripos1589

oraclist1603

tripod1603

presagitian1652

responsory1677

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > oracular seat

oraclec1425

trivet1587

tripos1589

tripod1603

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) v. 2034 (MED) I..cam to an yle..Whiche specialy þoruȝ hiȝ power devyne Ordeyned is of ȝore be myracle, As it were, a spiritual oracle.

1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 4 And they vysited temples and oracles vnto the consummation of their dayes.

a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 48 To þe tyme þat y cam to þe Oracle of þe sone þat Esculapides mad for hym.

1574 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Familiar Epist. 271 Amongst all the oratories that..they had in Asia, the most famous was the Oracle of Delphos: for to that place from all partes of the worlde they did concurre.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) ii. iii. 194 Please' your Highnesse, Posts From those you sent to th' Oracle, are come An houre since.

1645 J. Milton On Christ's Nativity: Hymn xix, in Poems 9 The Oracles are dumm.

1692 tr. C. de Saint-Évremond Misc. Ess. 284 He speaks like the Oracles to puzzle the World.

1718 N. Rowe tr. Lucan Pharsalia v. 284 Why did your wary Oracles refrain To tell what Kings, what Heroes must be slain?

1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xxiii. 399 The altar was deserted, the oracle had been reduced to silence.

1815 W. Wordsworth Poems I. 227 The Delphic oracle foretold That the first Greek who touch'd the Trojan strand Should die.

1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. vi. 205 The Gods..had a great variety of agents and vehicles at their disposal, for conveying the secrets of their prescience... Sometimes they attached it to a certain place, the seat of their immediate presence, which is then termed an oracle.

1884 J. Tait Mind in Matter 180 The great Oracles of antiquity belonged to the Greeks.

1910 J. C. Lawson Mod. Greek Folklore & Anc. Greek Relig. iii. 332 An oracle, it must be remembered, is simply a place set apart for the practice of divination.

1949 F. Ferguson Idea of Theater i. 14 Laius and Jocasta, King and Queen of Thebes, are told by the oracle that their son will grow up to kill his father and marry his mother.

1991 C. Mansall Discover Astrol. v. 94/1 On consulting the oracle of Apollo at Adelphi, Hercules was commanded to serve Eurystheus for twelve years..during which time he was honour-bound to perform the Twelve Labours.

b. allusively (chiefly British colloquial). to work the oracle: to influence the agency or medium; to obtain an utterance in one's favour; to manipulate a situation to obtain a desired result.In early use also: to raise money.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > power > influence > have influence [verb (intransitive)] > succeed in influencing

win1616

to work the oracle1823

the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > cunning > be cunning or act cunningly [verb (intransitive)] > manage or manoeuvre

to shuffle the cards1570

to work one's ticketa1599

manoeuvre1801

to work the oracle1823

society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > getting or making money > get or make money [verb (intransitive)] > obtain money

to work the oracle1823

to make a raise1825

scuffle1946

1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 131 Oracle, Men who understand how to overreach others, or to manage money concerns marvellously, are said to ‘work the oracle well’.

1846 ‘Sylvanus’ Pedestrian & Other Reminisc. xxv. 41 Them swells is such gallows rogues;..they puts one of their M.P.'s to work the thing in the house;..they've three or four working the oracle at Tatt's.

1863 All Year Round 10 Oct. 168 He has a double, who..worked the oracle for him.

1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Sept. 1/3 Every reader will be able to form his own judgment of the methods which [certain publishers] adopt to ‘work the oracle’ in their favour.

1891 J. Newman Scamping Tricks & Odd Knowl. xiv. 116 With..big local loan-mongers to work the oracle and swim with them.

1915 C. J. Dennis Songs of Sentimental Bloke (1936) 29 O' course we worked the oricle; you bet! But, 'Struth, I ain't recovered frum it yet!

1960 G. W. Target Teachers (1962) 161 I think it must be the Supply working the oracle—nothing like a nice bit of music for an easy half-hour.

1992 Sporting Life 9 Oct. (Greyhound Life Suppl.) 4/4 Yew Beauty—on a double, early lead can work the oracle.

2. A response, decision, or message delivered by an oracle, especially one which is obscure or ambiguous in meaning.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > oracular message

oracle1542

1542 N. Udall in tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 188 Oraculum an oracle, is proprely the mynde & aunswer of God by some divine interpreter declared, as by some Prophete, preste, or other wyse by manne.

1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales iii. xiii. 84 The Smyrnæans alleaged an oracle of Apollo, by which they were commaunded to dedicate a temple to Venus Stratonicis.

a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iii. ii. 117 Therefore bring forth (And in Apollo's Name) his Oracle .

1648 A. Ross Mystagogvs Poeticvs (ed. 2) xvi. 388 The seat from whence she [sc. a Sibyl] gave her Oracles.

1716 M. Davies Diss. Physick 29 in Athenæ Britannicæ III Tiresias the Priest's Daughter, who writ or paraphras'd in such excellent Strains, some of the..Oracles at the Temple of the Delphians.

1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. v. 78 Unskill'd to spell aright The oracles predictive of the woe.

1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) III. 59 An oracle was procured exactly suited to the purpose of the leaders of the expedition.

1847 W. H. Prescott Hist. Conquest Peru I. iii. vi. 443 The oracles, delivered from its [sc. The temple of Pachacamac] dark and mysterious shrine, were held in no less repute among the natives..than the oracles of Delphi obtained among the Greeks.

1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche ii. ix. 17 The chaunting Pythoness gave oracle, And thus in measured verse the sentence ran.

1905 Q. Rev. July 8 To speak Miltonically, the Muse utters the oracle, and her ‘prophet’ renders it in rhyme.

1980 P. O'Brian Surgeon's Mate vii. 206 Their queen sat on the high altar mother-naked, uttering oracles in a heathen frenzy.

2000 S. Connor Dumbstruck ii. 54 Accounts speak repeatedly of the pythia's ‘descent’ to give her oracles.

II. In extended use (in Judaism, Christianity, and other religions).

3. Chiefly Christian Church. Divine revelation; an instance of this, a declaration or message expressed or delivered by divine inspiration. Also in plural: the sacred scriptures (see note). Now rare. [In sense ‘the sacred scriptures’ after biblical use, especially in Romans 3:2 (τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ the oracles of God, Vulgate eloquia Dei : see quot. 1611); compare Acts 7:38 (λόγια ζῶντα living oracles, Vulgate verba vitae : see quot. 1557).]

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > [noun]

Holy Writc900

writeOE

God's bookOE

writOE

bookOE

Biblea1300

holy lettrurec1330

scripturec1330

the (sacred or holy) writings1340

gospel1393

worda1425

escripture1489

Holy Write1508

theologya1513

the written word1533

Book of God1548

oracle1548

hand biblea1680

good book1740

sacred book1782

the sacred volume1850

bibliotheca1879

Kitab1885

c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. 4915 (MED) She..Hadde in hir slepe a wonder visioun..Ouþer a dreme or verraily a sweuene, Or fro a-boue a reuelacioun..Or a shewynge, ouþer an oracle.

c1450 (?a1422) J. Lydgate Life Our Lady (Durh.) iv. 244 (MED) Whose vertu was..in dyvyne oracle..shewede by myracle.

1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. ii. 26 The oracles or sayinges of God.

1557 Bible (Whittingham) Acts vii. 38 This is that Moses..who receaued the lyuely oracles to geue vnto vs.

1611 Bible (King James) Rom. iii. 2 Unto them [sc. the Jews] were committed the Oracles of God.

1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage x. ii. 133 First had divine mercy by Oracle removed the Christians to Pella out of the danger.

1737 A. Pope Epist. of Horace ii. i. 2 Whose Word is Truth, as sacred and rever'd, As Heav'n's own Oracles from Altars heard.

1746 J. Hervey Medit. among Tombs 33 By Him, says the Oracle of Inspiration, all Things consist.

1844 A. P. Stanley Life & Corr. T. Arnold I. iv. 213 In the Bible, he [sc. Arnold] found and acknowledged an oracle of God—a positive and supernatural revelation made to man, an immediate inspiration of the Spirit.

1885 Dict. National Biogr. at Barton, Elizabeth Strype's Memorials,..where many examples of the nun's oracles are printed.

1996 Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) (Nexis) 1 Nov. 3 These principles of the common human good [sc. the Ten Commandments] became propagated as God's ways. Obedience to divine oracles became the basis for community.

4. Judaism.

†a. That part of the Jewish Temple where the divine presence was manifested; the most sacred sanctuary of the Temple, the holy of holies; (also) the Mercy seat within it. Obsolete.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > holy of holies > [noun]

sanctuary1382

oraclec1450

sanctum sanctorumc1475

sanctum1577

adyt1584

penetral1589

adytum1611

holiest1611

holy of holies1641

sacrariuma1746

sanctuarium1796

sekos1820

garbhagriha1832

inner sanctum1861

c1450 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Bodl. 277) (1850) Exod. xxv. 18 The oracle [a1425 Royal Thou schalt make on euer eithir side of Goddis answeryng place twei cherubyns of gold].

1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. 72^v/2 The preestes sette the Arke in the hows of our lord in the oracle of the temple in sancta sanctorum under the wynges of cherubyn.

1609 Bible (Douay) I. Exod. xxxvii. 6 He made also the Propitiatorie, that is, the Oracle, of the purest golde.

1611 Bible (King James) Psalms xxviii. 2 When I lift vp my handes toward thy holy Oracle .

1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 12 Sion Hill..and Siloa's Brook that flow'd Fast by the Oracle of God.

1838 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 514 Oracle is..used for the mercy-seat, or the cover of the ark of the covenant; and..for the sanctuary, or the most holy place, in which the ark was deposited.

b. The breastplate of the Jewish High Priest, studded with gems, by which divine messages were believed to be communicated. (Cf. urim n. and thummim n.).

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > artefacts > vestments > sartorial appurtenances > [noun] > rational > Jewish

rationaleeOE

breast broocha1382

pectoral?a1439

breast-flap1530

breast lap1530

breastplate1567

oracle1743

1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fifth 46 Her Gaiety..That like the Jews fam'd Oracle of Gems, Sparkles Instruction.

1868 W. B. Marriott Vestiarium Christianum 5 On the breastplate (or ‘Oracle’) are set twelve stones of unusual size and beauty.

1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn II. li. 172 Ishmael ben Phabi, High Priest of the Jews, on whose ephod has hung the twelve-gemmed oracle.

1995 Baltimore Jewish Times (Nexis) 30 July 38 The Hebrew phrase is Urim ve-Tumim, referring to the oracle as part of the breastplate worn by the High Priest in ancient Israel, as stated in Exodus 28:30.

5. gen. A vehicle or medium of divine communication; a person who or thing which expounds or interprets the will of God, or a god; a divine teacher.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > worship > preaching > catechesis > [noun] > one who performs

fatherOE

catechizerc1449

mystagoguec1540

oracle1548

catechist1564

guru1613

director1671

swami1901

1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cix In his company Ione the Puzel, whom he vsed as an oracle and a southsaier.

1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 460 God hath now sent his living Oracle Into the World, to teach his final will.

a1711 T. Ken Divine Love in Wks. (1838) 307 I adore thee, O heavenly Oracle of Love, for contriving this prayer in that admirable method.

1769 F. Brooke Hist. Emily Montague I. xi. 73 Powawers, or conjurers, of whom there is one in every Indian village, who is at once physician, orator, and divine, and who is consulted as an oracle on every occasion.

1823 Ld. Byron Island i. vi. 12 Man's conscience is the oracle of God.

1833 J. H. Newman Arians 4th Cent. i. 91 In the history of Balaam..a bad man and a heathen is made the oracle of true divine messages.

1863 E. V. Neale Analogy Thought & Nature 129 Bacon had brought man to the feet of nature, as to a Divine oracle.

1934 C. P. Swart Suppl. C. Pettman's Gloss. S. Afr. Colloq. Words (M. A. thesis, Univ. of S. Afr.) 156 The revelations of a witch-doctor are usually punctuated by a chorus of Natives who clap their hands and shout out these words whenever the oracle prophesies.

1989 O. V. Vijayan After the Hanging 119 Someone from the audience shouted, ‘He calls us sinners. What have we done?’ Thereupon, the oracle of the temple came out in a frenzy, smiting his own head with a sword.

†6. An injunction or command of the Pope. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > pope > [noun] > government of > command of

oracle1579

1579 W. Fulke Confut. Treat. N. Sander in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 551 The Frenchmen deposed their King Childericus by the Oracle of Pope Zacharie, which discharged them of their..othe of obedience.

1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 21 A commandment giuen viua voce, by the Oracle of the most holy Lord the Pope, in the vertue of his holy obedience, and vnder paine of the greater excommunication..not to depart the City.

III. Figurative senses.

7. An utterance of great wisdom, significance, or import; an opinion or declaration regarded as authoritative and infallible.Formerly also (without article): †undeniable truth (obsolete).

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > truthfulness, veracity > [noun] > true statement, correct account, truth

soothquidec888

soothsawc950

soothOE

righteousnessa1225

certainty1330

truthc1330

trotha1387

verity1533

tell-truth?1556

oracle1569

true1581

round O1605

fact1779

veracity1852

veritability1864

1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa Of Vanitie Artes & Sci. 12 For that cause the Auncientes surnamed Homer his Oracles, of the verses of Homer.

1592 B. Rich Aduentures Brusanus ii. xii. 91 It is an easie matter Brusanus, to purchase credite, where the party is al-ready perswaded, and to infer beleefe, where euery word is acounted an oracle.

1610 Histrio-mastix iii. 38 Are not you Lawyers, from whose reverend lippes Th' amazed multitude learne Oracles?

a1640 P. Massinger City-Madam (1658) ii. ii. 70 Lady Frugal [after Stargaze has given an astrological exposition]: Kneel, and give thanks. Sir Maurice: For what we understand not... Lady F. Be incredulous, To me 'tis Oracle.

1693 Elegy Knock in J. W. Draper Cent. Broadside Elegies (1928) 184 But this we dare pronounce for oracle.

1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome vi. 101 His Words were received as Oracles.

1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure I. iii I hung on every syllable he utter'd, and receiv'd as oracles, all he said.

1842 E. S. Abdy tr. R. von Falkenstein Water Cure (1843) 175 Such epithets..pronounced with a grave face by those whose looks are omens, and whose words are oracles.

1958 Listener 19 June 1025/3 The neo-Nietzschean oracles of Colin Wilson.

1992 English 41 176 Blake's Milton and Jerusalem, like Wordsworth's Prelude, establish the poet as an oracular speaker; Coleridge, in the Biographia, declared critics uniquely qualified to interpret the oracle.

a. A person of great wisdom or knowledge, whose opinions or decisions are generally accepted; an authority believed or claiming to be infallible.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > [noun]

wise manc888

wisec897

witec900

snoterc950

divinera1387

sage1399

mage?a1425

wisdom1432

wizardc1440

sapientc1550

Solomon1554

oracle1579

sophy1587

Solon1631

sapientipotent1656

magus1700

wiseacre1753

sageshipa1832

Yoda1984

1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin i. 28 The onely arbitrator and oracle of all Italy.

1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. i. 93 I am sir Oracle, And when I ope my lips, let no dogge barke.

1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vii. 303 He straight sent for a Iewish Phisitian, his familiar Oracle.

1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. iii. 145 He [sc. Lord Say] had for many years been the Oracle of those who were call'd Puritans in the worst sense, and steer'd all Their counsels and designs.

a1722 J. Toland Coll. Several Pieces (1726) II. 396 Permit me to have recourse to you, as an Oracle in History, for the solution.

1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table vi. 164 It is a fine thing to be an oracle to which an appeal is always made in all discussions.

1871 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch (1872) I. x. 156 In a year from this time that girl will hate him. She looks up to him as an oracle now, and by-and-by she will be at the other extreme.

1918 W. M. Kirkland Joys of being Woman xiii. 143 It is much cozier to be considered an idiot than an oracle.

1959 J. Barzun House of Intellect iv. 114 The teacher and his oracle, the educationist.

1999 Forbes 22 Feb. 45/2 It's no surprise that the musings of investment oracle Peter Lynch motivate people to change strategies.

b. In extended use: something regarded as an infallible guide or indicator, esp. when its action is viewed as recondite or mysterious; a thing which provides information, insight, or answers.During the 18th cent. frequently applied to a chronometer, compass, etc.

ΘΚΠ

society > authority > control > [noun] > guidance > that which guides

lodestarc1374

clew1385

Palinurus1567

stern1577

thread1580

twist1580

sea-mark1589

Pole Star1590

cynosure1596

buoya1603

oracle1612

leading light1653

gospela1674

indexc1750

polar stara1774

pilot star1789

clue1840

guidance1841

guideline1917

breadcrumb trail1969

1612 E. Grimeston tr. P. Matthieu Heroyk Life Henry IV 104 He goeth abroade with some vn-willingnesse of minde, which is euer the secret Oracle of good or euill aduentures.

1694 N. H. Ladies' Dict. Ded. sig. A2 A dictionary for the use of the Fair-Sex, (which may serve as a Secret Oracle, to Consult in all difficult Cases).

1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. ii. 41 He called it [sc. a watch] his Oracle, and said it pointed out the Time for every Action of his Life.

1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 108 Pray, my Lord, what's a Clock by your Oracle?

1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 52 But by the oracle of truth below, The wondrous magnet, guides the wayward prow.

1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville III. 97 This little, whining, feast-smelling animal, is, therefore, called among Indians the ‘medicine wolf’; and such was one of Buckey's infallible oracles.

1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations vii There was a little greasy memorandum-book..which served as a Catalogue of Prices, and by this oracle Biddy arranged all the shop transactions.

1988 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 16 Dec. cn108 The luminous jukebox in a photograph of a New York bar suggests a modern oracle for lost souls.

2000 Z. Smith White Teeth (2001) ix. 220 Alsana, a great believer in the oracle that is the BBC, sat in a nightie on the sofa.

c. Something that is believed to prophesy, or give oracular replies or advice.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > advice > [noun] > adviser or counsellor > something giving oracular advice

oracle1625

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > [noun] > a prediction or prophecy

prenostica1393

spaea1400

prognostication?a1425

prenostication?a1450

forespeaking1480

prenosticature1490

soothsaying1535

foredestiny?1549

foresaw1555

presage1560

abodement1565

prenotion1588

predict1609

prophetical1615

prognosis1649

conjectation1652

prognosticate1652

propheticism1684

prognostic1701

oracle1713

precantation1838

1625 J. Hart Anat. Urines i. v. 47 This Parson being..reputed famous in vromancie, this Gentlewoman had recourse to his oracle.

1713 A. Pope Windsor-Forest 16 I see..a new White-Hall ascend! There mighty Nations shall inquire their Doom, The World's great Oracle in Times to come.

1831 D. Brewster Life I. Newton xix. 335 The oracle which he had himself established refused to give its responses.

1986 R. Pollack Teach yourself Fortune Telling vi. 138 When you wish to use your oracle, hold the stones or lots in your hand, shake them and then cast them on to the reading surface.

2000 Here's Health May 35/3 We consulted the I Ching, the ancient Chinese oracle..and the reply reinforces your need for experienced help.

†9.

a. A prognostication, such as those in almanacs. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > [noun] > a prediction or prophecy > contained in a book

oracle1596

book prophecy1664

1596 Bp. W. Barlow tr. L. Lavater Three Christian Serm. i. 11 One of their owne late Prophets..hath very fitlie prefixed before his yearely false oracles, I would say Almanacks [etc.].

b. An oracular reply; a wise or prudent answer. Obsolete. rare.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > attention and judgement > answer > [noun] > an answer, response > oracular

answerOE

responsea1522

oracle1657

the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun] > teaching, precepts > answer

oracle1657

1657 T. Aylesbury Treat. Confession of Sinne xii. 343 It was the glory of Queen Elizabeth..that wise answer or Oracle she returned to a Pragmatick Petition.

10. Usually with capital initial. [See quot. 1976.] A type of teletext system developed for British commercial television. Cf. Ceefax n.A proprietary name in the United Kingdom.

ΘΚΠ

society > communication > broadcasting > television > [noun] > teletext, etc.

Ceefax1972

oracle1973

teletext1974

viewdata1975

videotext1977

Prestel1978

videotex1978

Teletel1979

Minitel1982

1973 IBA Techn. Rev. iii. 61 Oracle—broadcasting the written word. Engineers of the IBA have recently developed..an experimental data system, Oracle, capable of providing a continuous public information service on conventional television transmitting networks.

1976 P. R. Hutt in IBA Techn. Rev. ix. 4/2 The author hit on the idea of the name ‘oracle’ one Sunday while lunching with friends. Being a classical source of advice and information the name seemed to be very apposite, and it was not long before it was made into an acronym for ‘Optional Reception of Announcements by Coded Line Electronics’.

1986 A & B Computing Nov. 28/1 Both the ceefax and oracle systems broadcast software for many of the popular microcomputers.

1992 Marketing Week (BNC) 17 Jan. 11 Associated Newspapers is understood to be considering a bid for the Oracle teletext franchise.

2003 Guardian (Nexis) 13 Jan. 31 The race-day steward took the decision to call it [sc. a race meeting] off... We informed Ceefax, Oracle and the Racing Channel.

11. Computing. Usually with capital initial. A proprietary name for: a commercial relational database management system and computer-assisted software engineering tool set.

ΚΠ

1982 Mini/Micro 82 Conf. Rec. 14/1 (title) An overview of ORACLE.

1983 Computerworld (Nexis) 31 Jan. 12 Oracle..is billed as the first mainframe-oriented data base management system (DBMS) to be transported to the microcomputer.

1989 DEC Professional Sept. 74/3 Natural language runs with Rdb, Ingres, Oracle, Sybase and Informix.

1994 Internet World Jan. 109/2 Local oracle programs have existed in various places for many years.

Compounds

C1.

oracle-monger n.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > medium or mouthpiece of the deity, oracle > self-appointed

oraculizer1634

oraculist1652

oracle-monger1673

1673 W. Cave Primitive Christianity i. i. 7 The Impostor setting up for an Oracle-monger.

1860 G. Rawlinson tr. Herodotus Hist. IV. vii. vi. 6 Onomacritus of Athens, an oracle-monger [Gk. χρησμολόγος]..who set forth the prophecies of Musæus.

1949 H. A. R. Gibb Mohammedanism iii. 36 Mohammed's utterances were delivered in a sinewy oracular style... This style is..that of the ancient kāhins or Arabian oracle-mongers.

† oracle-shop n. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1675 C. Cotton Burlesque upon Burlesque 114 He sets up Oracle-shops in Greece.

C2.

oracle bone n. Archaeology (chiefly in plural) the bone of a ritually killed animal, carved with script and used in ancient China for divination.

ΘΚΠ

the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination by natural phenomena > divination from bones > [noun] > bones used in ancient China

oracle bone1915

1915 Encycl. Relig. & Ethics VIII. 262/1 During recent years a very interesting discovery of ‘oracle bones’ and tortoise-shell fragments was made in the province of Honan.

1970 W. Bray & D. Trump Dict. Archaeol. 167/2 Oracle bones... A groove was cut in the bone, after which a hot point was applied nearby, and the shape of the resulting cracks determined the answer.

1990 R. O. Butler Relic in S. Ravenal New Stories from South (1991) 79 A part of an oracle bone from the earliest times of my country, the bone of some animal killed by ritual and carved with the future in Chinese characters.

oracle oak n. U.S. regional (western) the oak Quercus × moreha, a natural hybrid native to California (also called Spanish oak).

ΚΠ

1925 W. L. Jepson Man. Flowering Plants Calif. 277 Q[uercus] morehus... Oracle Oak.

1979 E. L. Little Checklist U.S. Trees 223 Another hybrid of wider distribution in California is Q. × moreha Kellogg (Q. kelloggi × wislizeni), oracle oak.

Derivatives

ˈoracle-like adj.

ΚΠ

1582 R. Mulcaster 1st Pt. Elementarie v. 23 For that is most trew, which is vttered by manie, but most oraclelike by Plato, concerning the strength of that iuyce.

1664 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders (new ed.) i. sig. d Your Apollo's Oracle-like Arcenal.

1854 G. A. Sala in Househ. Words 30 Sept. 147/1 The commander..oracle-like, does not explain how he intends to accomplish this feat.

1993 Man 28 722 The Tishana are now more likely to go to the magician-diviners for oracle-like consultations.

† oracle-wise adv. Obsolete rare

ΚΠ

1625 K. Long tr. J. Barclay Argenis i. xx. 64 Meleanders thoughts runne vpon that, that Oracle-wise was vttered by her.

This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022).

单词	oracle
释义	oraclen. Brit. /ˈɒrəkl/, U.S. /ˈɔrək(ə)l/ Forms: Middle English– oracle, 1600s orackle, 1600s orrackle, 1900s– oricle (irregular). Origin: A borrowing from French. Etymon: French oracle. Etymology: < Middle French, French oracle place where the gods were supposed to speak (c1165 in Old French), divine revelation (c1275–80), message delivered by an oracle (1530), opinion regarded as authoritative (1546), person of great wisdom (1549), god or interpreter who delivers oracles (1552), the holy of holies (1672; compare Anglo-Norman oracle (mid 14th cent. or earlier in this sense)) < classical Latin ōrāculum (also ōrāclum ) interpreter who delivers oracles, place where the gods were supposed to speak, message delivered by an oracle, utterance of great wisdom, in post-classical Latin also holy of holies (Vulgate), divine revelation (4th cent.), an imperial rescript (Justinian Institutiones, 5th cent.), papal injunction (6th cent.) < ōrāre orate v. + -culum -cule suffix; compare -cle suffix. Compare slightly later oraculum n. Compare Italian oracolo (14th cent.), Spanish oráculo (c1440), Portuguese oráculo (16th cent.). I. Classical History. 1. a. In ancient Greece and Rome: the instrument, agency, or medium (usually a priest or a priestess) through which the gods were supposed to speak or prophesy; the mouthpiece of the gods. Also: the place at which such advice or prophecy was sought. ΘΚΠ the world > the supernatural > deity > classical deity > [noun] > oracle of oraclec1425 oratorya1522 oracler1584 society > faith > aspects of faith > spirituality > inspiration or revelation > [noun] lightOE lightingOE inspiration1303 illuminationsc1340 inyettingc1340 revelationc1384 oraclec1425 revealingc1429 informationc1450 infusionc1450 illustrationc1480 gospel1481 aspirationc1534 illuminating1561 afflation1576 entheos1594 enthusiasm1595 flame-light1611 illapse1614 inspirement1616 spiration1629 respirationa1631 irradiation1631 income1647 afflatus1649 theopneustian1660 entheasm1752 prana1785 inflation1835 theopneusty1847 inflatusa1861 theopneustia1894 the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > medium or mouthpiece of the deity, oracle oraclec1425 oraculumc1450 oratorya1522 oratoura1522 oracler1584 trivet1587 tripos1589 oraclist1603 tripod1603 presagitian1652 responsory1677 the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > oracular seat oraclec1425 trivet1587 tripos1589 tripod1603 c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) v. 2034 (MED) I..cam to an yle..Whiche specialy þoruȝ hiȝ power devyne Ordeyned is of ȝore be myracle, As it were, a spiritual oracle. 1477 W. Caxton tr. R. Le Fèvre Hist. Jason (1913) 4 And they vysited temples and oracles vnto the consummation of their dayes. a1500 (?a1425) tr. Secreta Secret. (Lamb.) 48 To þe tyme þat y cam to þe Oracle of þe sone þat Esculapides mad for hym. 1574 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Familiar Epist. 271 Amongst all the oratories that..they had in Asia, the most famous was the Oracle of Delphos: for to that place from all partes of the worlde they did concurre. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) ii. iii. 194 Please' your Highnesse, Posts From those you sent to th' Oracle, are come An houre since. View more context for this quotation 1645 J. Milton On Christ's Nativity: Hymn xix, in Poems 9 The Oracles are dumm. 1692 tr. C. de Saint-Évremond Misc. Ess. 284 He speaks like the Oracles to puzzle the World. 1718 N. Rowe tr. Lucan Pharsalia v. 284 Why did your wary Oracles refrain To tell what Kings, what Heroes must be slain? 1781 E. Gibbon Decline & Fall II. xxiii. 399 The altar was deserted, the oracle had been reduced to silence. 1815 W. Wordsworth Poems I. 227 The Delphic oracle foretold That the first Greek who touch'd the Trojan strand Should die. 1835 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece I. vi. 205 The Gods..had a great variety of agents and vehicles at their disposal, for conveying the secrets of their prescience... Sometimes they attached it to a certain place, the seat of their immediate presence, which is then termed an oracle. 1884 J. Tait Mind in Matter 180 The great Oracles of antiquity belonged to the Greeks. 1910 J. C. Lawson Mod. Greek Folklore & Anc. Greek Relig. iii. 332 An oracle, it must be remembered, is simply a place set apart for the practice of divination. 1949 F. Ferguson Idea of Theater i. 14 Laius and Jocasta, King and Queen of Thebes, are told by the oracle that their son will grow up to kill his father and marry his mother. 1991 C. Mansall Discover Astrol. v. 94/1 On consulting the oracle of Apollo at Adelphi, Hercules was commanded to serve Eurystheus for twelve years..during which time he was honour-bound to perform the Twelve Labours. b. allusively (chiefly British colloquial). to work the oracle: to influence the agency or medium; to obtain an utterance in one's favour; to manipulate a situation to obtain a desired result.In early use also: to raise money. ΘΚΠ society > authority > power > influence > have influence [verb (intransitive)] > succeed in influencing win1616 to work the oracle1823 the world > action or operation > ability > skill or skilfulness > cunning > be cunning or act cunningly [verb (intransitive)] > manage or manoeuvre to shuffle the cards1570 to work one's ticketa1599 manoeuvre1801 to work the oracle1823 society > trade and finance > management of money > income, revenue, or profit > getting or making money > get or make money [verb (intransitive)] > obtain money to work the oracle1823 to make a raise1825 scuffle1946 1823 ‘J. Bee’ Slang 131 Oracle, Men who understand how to overreach others, or to manage money concerns marvellously, are said to ‘work the oracle well’. 1846 ‘Sylvanus’ Pedestrian & Other Reminisc. xxv. 41 Them swells is such gallows rogues;..they puts one of their M.P.'s to work the thing in the house;..they've three or four working the oracle at Tatt's. 1863 All Year Round 10 Oct. 168 He has a double, who..worked the oracle for him. 1886 Pall Mall Gaz. 1 Sept. 1/3 Every reader will be able to form his own judgment of the methods which [certain publishers] adopt to ‘work the oracle’ in their favour. 1891 J. Newman Scamping Tricks & Odd Knowl. xiv. 116 With..big local loan-mongers to work the oracle and swim with them. 1915 C. J. Dennis Songs of Sentimental Bloke (1936) 29 O' course we worked the oricle; you bet! But, 'Struth, I ain't recovered frum it yet! 1960 G. W. Target Teachers (1962) 161 I think it must be the Supply working the oracle—nothing like a nice bit of music for an easy half-hour. 1992 Sporting Life 9 Oct. (Greyhound Life Suppl.) 4/4 Yew Beauty—on a double, early lead can work the oracle. 2. A response, decision, or message delivered by an oracle, especially one which is obscure or ambiguous in meaning. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > oracular message oracle1542 1542 N. Udall in tr. Erasmus Apophthegmes f. 188 Oraculum an oracle, is proprely the mynde & aunswer of God by some divine interpreter declared, as by some Prophete, preste, or other wyse by manne. 1598 R. Grenewey tr. Tacitus Annales iii. xiii. 84 The Smyrnæans alleaged an oracle of Apollo, by which they were commaunded to dedicate a temple to Venus Stratonicis. a1616 W. Shakespeare Winter's Tale (1623) iii. ii. 117 Therefore bring forth (And in Apollo's Name) his Oracle . View more context for this quotation 1648 A. Ross Mystagogvs Poeticvs (ed. 2) xvi. 388 The seat from whence she [sc. a Sibyl] gave her Oracles. 1716 M. Davies Diss. Physick 29 in Athenæ Britannicæ III Tiresias the Priest's Daughter, who writ or paraphras'd in such excellent Strains, some of the..Oracles at the Temple of the Delphians. 1791 W. Cowper tr. Homer Iliad in Iliad & Odyssey I. v. 78 Unskill'd to spell aright The oracles predictive of the woe. 1838 C. Thirlwall Hist. Greece (new ed.) III. 59 An oracle was procured exactly suited to the purpose of the leaders of the expedition. 1847 W. H. Prescott Hist. Conquest Peru I. iii. vi. 443 The oracles, delivered from its [sc. The temple of Pachacamac] dark and mysterious shrine, were held in no less repute among the natives..than the oracles of Delphi obtained among the Greeks. 1885 R. Bridges Eros & Psyche ii. ix. 17 The chaunting Pythoness gave oracle, And thus in measured verse the sentence ran. 1905 Q. Rev. July 8 To speak Miltonically, the Muse utters the oracle, and her ‘prophet’ renders it in rhyme. 1980 P. O'Brian Surgeon's Mate vii. 206 Their queen sat on the high altar mother-naked, uttering oracles in a heathen frenzy. 2000 S. Connor Dumbstruck ii. 54 Accounts speak repeatedly of the pythia's ‘descent’ to give her oracles. II. In extended use (in Judaism, Christianity, and other religions). 3. Chiefly Christian Church. Divine revelation; an instance of this, a declaration or message expressed or delivered by divine inspiration. Also in plural: the sacred scriptures (see note). Now rare. [In sense ‘the sacred scriptures’ after biblical use, especially in Romans 3:2 (τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ the oracles of God, Vulgate eloquia Dei : see quot. 1611); compare Acts 7:38 (λόγια ζῶντα living oracles, Vulgate verba vitae : see quot. 1557).] ΘΚΠ society > faith > aspects of faith > Bible, Scripture > [noun] Holy Writc900 writeOE God's bookOE writOE bookOE Biblea1300 holy lettrurec1330 scripturec1330 the (sacred or holy) writings1340 gospel1393 worda1425 escripture1489 Holy Write1508 theologya1513 the written word1533 Book of God1548 oracle1548 hand biblea1680 good book1740 sacred book1782 the sacred volume1850 bibliotheca1879 Kitab1885 c1425 J. Lydgate Troyyes Bk. (Augustus A.iv) iii. 4915 (MED) She..Hadde in hir slepe a wonder visioun..Ouþer a dreme or verraily a sweuene, Or fro a-boue a reuelacioun..Or a shewynge, ouþer an oracle. c1450 (?a1422) J. Lydgate Life Our Lady (Durh.) iv. 244 (MED) Whose vertu was..in dyvyne oracle..shewede by myracle. 1548 N. Udall et al. tr. Erasmus Paraphr. Newe Test. I. Matt. ii. 26 The oracles or sayinges of God. 1557 Bible (Whittingham) Acts vii. 38 This is that Moses..who receaued the lyuely oracles to geue vnto vs. 1611 Bible (King James) Rom. iii. 2 Unto them [sc. the Jews] were committed the Oracles of God. View more context for this quotation 1613 S. Purchas Pilgrimage x. ii. 133 First had divine mercy by Oracle removed the Christians to Pella out of the danger. 1737 A. Pope Epist. of Horace ii. i. 2 Whose Word is Truth, as sacred and rever'd, As Heav'n's own Oracles from Altars heard. 1746 J. Hervey Medit. among Tombs 33 By Him, says the Oracle of Inspiration, all Things consist. 1844 A. P. Stanley Life & Corr. T. Arnold I. iv. 213 In the Bible, he [sc. Arnold] found and acknowledged an oracle of God—a positive and supernatural revelation made to man, an immediate inspiration of the Spirit. 1885 Dict. National Biogr. at Barton, Elizabeth Strype's Memorials,..where many examples of the nun's oracles are printed. 1996 Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Florida) (Nexis) 1 Nov. 3 These principles of the common human good [sc. the Ten Commandments] became propagated as God's ways. Obedience to divine oracles became the basis for community. 4. Judaism. †a. That part of the Jewish Temple where the divine presence was manifested; the most sacred sanctuary of the Temple, the holy of holies; (also) the Mercy seat within it. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ society > faith > artefacts > division of building (general) > holy of holies > [noun] sanctuary1382 oraclec1450 sanctum sanctorumc1475 sanctum1577 adyt1584 penetral1589 adytum1611 holiest1611 holy of holies1641 sacrariuma1746 sanctuarium1796 sekos1820 garbhagriha1832 inner sanctum1861 c1450 (c1395) Bible (Wycliffite, L.V.) (Bodl. 277) (1850) Exod. xxv. 18 The oracle [a1425 Royal Thou schalt make on euer eithir side of Goddis answeryng place twei cherubyns of gold]. 1483 W. Caxton tr. J. de Voragine Golden Legende f. 72^v/2 The preestes sette the Arke in the hows of our lord in the oracle of the temple in sancta sanctorum under the wynges of cherubyn. 1609 Bible (Douay) I. Exod. xxxvii. 6 He made also the Propitiatorie, that is, the Oracle, of the purest golde. 1611 Bible (King James) Psalms xxviii. 2 When I lift vp my handes toward thy holy Oracle . View more context for this quotation 1667 J. Milton Paradise Lost i. 12 Sion Hill..and Siloa's Brook that flow'd Fast by the Oracle of God. View more context for this quotation 1838 Encycl. Brit. XVI. 514 Oracle is..used for the mercy-seat, or the cover of the ark of the covenant; and..for the sanctuary, or the most holy place, in which the ark was deposited. b. The breastplate of the Jewish High Priest, studded with gems, by which divine messages were believed to be communicated. (Cf. urim n. and thummim n.). ΘΚΠ society > faith > artefacts > vestments > sartorial appurtenances > [noun] > rational > Jewish rationaleeOE breast broocha1382 pectoral?a1439 breast-flap1530 breast lap1530 breastplate1567 oracle1743 1743 E. Young Complaint: Night the Fifth 46 Her Gaiety..That like the Jews fam'd Oracle of Gems, Sparkles Instruction. 1868 W. B. Marriott Vestiarium Christianum 5 On the breastplate (or ‘Oracle’) are set twelve stones of unusual size and beauty. 1891 F. W. Farrar Darkness & Dawn II. li. 172 Ishmael ben Phabi, High Priest of the Jews, on whose ephod has hung the twelve-gemmed oracle. 1995 Baltimore Jewish Times (Nexis) 30 July 38 The Hebrew phrase is Urim ve-Tumim, referring to the oracle as part of the breastplate worn by the High Priest in ancient Israel, as stated in Exodus 28:30. 5. gen. A vehicle or medium of divine communication; a person who or thing which expounds or interprets the will of God, or a god; a divine teacher. ΘΚΠ society > faith > worship > preaching > catechesis > [noun] > one who performs fatherOE catechizerc1449 mystagoguec1540 oracle1548 catechist1564 guru1613 director1671 swami1901 1548 Hall's Vnion: Henry VI f. cix In his company Ione the Puzel, whom he vsed as an oracle and a southsaier. 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 460 God hath now sent his living Oracle Into the World, to teach his final will. View more context for this quotation a1711 T. Ken Divine Love in Wks. (1838) 307 I adore thee, O heavenly Oracle of Love, for contriving this prayer in that admirable method. 1769 F. Brooke Hist. Emily Montague I. xi. 73 Powawers, or conjurers, of whom there is one in every Indian village, who is at once physician, orator, and divine, and who is consulted as an oracle on every occasion. 1823 Ld. Byron Island i. vi. 12 Man's conscience is the oracle of God. 1833 J. H. Newman Arians 4th Cent. i. 91 In the history of Balaam..a bad man and a heathen is made the oracle of true divine messages. 1863 E. V. Neale Analogy Thought & Nature 129 Bacon had brought man to the feet of nature, as to a Divine oracle. 1934 C. P. Swart Suppl. C. Pettman's Gloss. S. Afr. Colloq. Words (M. A. thesis, Univ. of S. Afr.) 156 The revelations of a witch-doctor are usually punctuated by a chorus of Natives who clap their hands and shout out these words whenever the oracle prophesies. 1989 O. V. Vijayan After the Hanging 119 Someone from the audience shouted, ‘He calls us sinners. What have we done?’ Thereupon, the oracle of the temple came out in a frenzy, smiting his own head with a sword. †6. An injunction or command of the Pope. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ society > faith > church government > member of the clergy > clerical superior > pope > [noun] > government of > command of oracle1579 1579 W. Fulke Confut. Treat. N. Sander in D. Heskins Ouerthrowne 551 The Frenchmen deposed their King Childericus by the Oracle of Pope Zacharie, which discharged them of their..othe of obedience. 1630 R. Norton tr. W. Camden Hist. Princesse Elizabeth i. 21 A commandment giuen viua voce, by the Oracle of the most holy Lord the Pope, in the vertue of his holy obedience, and vnder paine of the greater excommunication..not to depart the City. III. Figurative senses. 7. An utterance of great wisdom, significance, or import; an opinion or declaration regarded as authoritative and infallible.Formerly also (without article): †undeniable truth (obsolete). ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > knowledge > conformity with what is known, truth > truthfulness, veracity > [noun] > true statement, correct account, truth soothquidec888 soothsawc950 soothOE righteousnessa1225 certainty1330 truthc1330 trotha1387 verity1533 tell-truth?1556 oracle1569 true1581 round O1605 fact1779 veracity1852 veritability1864 1569 J. Sanford tr. H. C. Agrippa Of Vanitie Artes & Sci. 12 For that cause the Auncientes surnamed Homer his Oracles, of the verses of Homer. 1592 B. Rich Aduentures Brusanus ii. xii. 91 It is an easie matter Brusanus, to purchase credite, where the party is al-ready perswaded, and to infer beleefe, where euery word is acounted an oracle. 1610 Histrio-mastix iii. 38 Are not you Lawyers, from whose reverend lippes Th' amazed multitude learne Oracles? a1640 P. Massinger City-Madam (1658) ii. ii. 70 Lady Frugal [after Stargaze has given an astrological exposition]: Kneel, and give thanks. Sir Maurice: For what we understand not... Lady F. Be incredulous, To me 'tis Oracle. 1693 Elegy Knock in J. W. Draper Cent. Broadside Elegies (1928) 184 But this we dare pronounce for oracle. 1701 W. Wotton Hist. Rome vi. 101 His Words were received as Oracles. 1749 J. Cleland Mem. Woman of Pleasure I. iii I hung on every syllable he utter'd, and receiv'd as oracles, all he said. 1842 E. S. Abdy tr. R. von Falkenstein Water Cure (1843) 175 Such epithets..pronounced with a grave face by those whose looks are omens, and whose words are oracles. 1958 Listener 19 June 1025/3 The neo-Nietzschean oracles of Colin Wilson. 1992 English 41 176 Blake's Milton and Jerusalem, like Wordsworth's Prelude, establish the poet as an oracular speaker; Coleridge, in the Biographia, declared critics uniquely qualified to interpret the oracle. 8. a. A person of great wisdom or knowledge, whose opinions or decisions are generally accepted; an authority believed or claiming to be infallible. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > wise man, sage > [noun] wise manc888 wisec897 witec900 snoterc950 divinera1387 sage1399 mage?a1425 wisdom1432 wizardc1440 sapientc1550 Solomon1554 oracle1579 sophy1587 Solon1631 sapientipotent1656 magus1700 wiseacre1753 sageshipa1832 Yoda1984 1579 G. Fenton tr. F. Guicciardini Hist. Guicciardin i. 28 The onely arbitrator and oracle of all Italy. 1600 W. Shakespeare Merchant of Venice i. i. 93 I am sir Oracle, And when I ope my lips, let no dogge barke. View more context for this quotation 1632 W. Lithgow Totall Disc. Trav. vii. 303 He straight sent for a Iewish Phisitian, his familiar Oracle. 1702 Clarendon's Hist. Rebellion I. iii. 145 He [sc. Lord Say] had for many years been the Oracle of those who were call'd Puritans in the worst sense, and steer'd all Their counsels and designs. a1722 J. Toland Coll. Several Pieces (1726) II. 396 Permit me to have recourse to you, as an Oracle in History, for the solution. 1858 O. W. Holmes Autocrat of Breakfast-table vi. 164 It is a fine thing to be an oracle to which an appeal is always made in all discussions. 1871 ‘G. Eliot’ Middlemarch (1872) I. x. 156 In a year from this time that girl will hate him. She looks up to him as an oracle now, and by-and-by she will be at the other extreme. 1918 W. M. Kirkland Joys of being Woman xiii. 143 It is much cozier to be considered an idiot than an oracle. 1959 J. Barzun House of Intellect iv. 114 The teacher and his oracle, the educationist. 1999 Forbes 22 Feb. 45/2 It's no surprise that the musings of investment oracle Peter Lynch motivate people to change strategies. b. In extended use: something regarded as an infallible guide or indicator, esp. when its action is viewed as recondite or mysterious; a thing which provides information, insight, or answers.During the 18th cent. frequently applied to a chronometer, compass, etc. ΘΚΠ society > authority > control > [noun] > guidance > that which guides lodestarc1374 clew1385 Palinurus1567 stern1577 thread1580 twist1580 sea-mark1589 Pole Star1590 cynosure1596 buoya1603 oracle1612 leading light1653 gospela1674 indexc1750 polar stara1774 pilot star1789 clue1840 guidance1841 guideline1917 breadcrumb trail1969 1612 E. Grimeston tr. P. Matthieu Heroyk Life Henry IV 104 He goeth abroade with some vn-willingnesse of minde, which is euer the secret Oracle of good or euill aduentures. 1694 N. H. Ladies' Dict. Ded. sig. A2 A dictionary for the use of the Fair-Sex, (which may serve as a Secret Oracle, to Consult in all difficult Cases). 1726 J. Swift Gulliver I. i. ii. 41 He called it [sc. a watch] his Oracle, and said it pointed out the Time for every Action of his Life. 1738 J. Swift Compl. Coll. Genteel Conversat. 108 Pray, my Lord, what's a Clock by your Oracle? 1769 W. Falconer Shipwreck (ed. 3) ii. 52 But by the oracle of truth below, The wondrous magnet, guides the wayward prow. 1837 W. Irving Adventures Capt. Bonneville III. 97 This little, whining, feast-smelling animal, is, therefore, called among Indians the ‘medicine wolf’; and such was one of Buckey's infallible oracles. 1861 C. Dickens Great Expectations vii There was a little greasy memorandum-book..which served as a Catalogue of Prices, and by this oracle Biddy arranged all the shop transactions. 1988 Chicago Tribune (Nexis) 16 Dec. cn108 The luminous jukebox in a photograph of a New York bar suggests a modern oracle for lost souls. 2000 Z. Smith White Teeth (2001) ix. 220 Alsana, a great believer in the oracle that is the BBC, sat in a nightie on the sofa. c. Something that is believed to prophesy, or give oracular replies or advice. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > judgement or decision > advice > [noun] > adviser or counsellor > something giving oracular advice oracle1625 the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > [noun] > a prediction or prophecy prenostica1393 spaea1400 prognostication?a1425 prenostication?a1450 forespeaking1480 prenosticature1490 soothsaying1535 foredestiny?1549 foresaw1555 presage1560 abodement1565 prenotion1588 predict1609 prophetical1615 prognosis1649 conjectation1652 prognosticate1652 propheticism1684 prognostic1701 oracle1713 precantation1838 1625 J. Hart Anat. Urines i. v. 47 This Parson being..reputed famous in vromancie, this Gentlewoman had recourse to his oracle. 1713 A. Pope Windsor-Forest 16 I see..a new White-Hall ascend! There mighty Nations shall inquire their Doom, The World's great Oracle in Times to come. 1831 D. Brewster Life I. Newton xix. 335 The oracle which he had himself established refused to give its responses. 1986 R. Pollack Teach yourself Fortune Telling vi. 138 When you wish to use your oracle, hold the stones or lots in your hand, shake them and then cast them on to the reading surface. 2000 Here's Health May 35/3 We consulted the I Ching, the ancient Chinese oracle..and the reply reinforces your need for experienced help. †9. a. A prognostication, such as those in almanacs. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > [noun] > a prediction or prophecy > contained in a book oracle1596 book prophecy1664 1596 Bp. W. Barlow tr. L. Lavater Three Christian Serm. i. 11 One of their owne late Prophets..hath very fitlie prefixed before his yearely false oracles, I would say Almanacks [etc.]. b. An oracular reply; a wise or prudent answer. Obsolete. rare. ΘΚΠ the mind > attention and judgement > answer > [noun] > an answer, response > oracular answerOE responsea1522 oracle1657 the mind > mental capacity > understanding > wisdom, sagacity > [noun] > teaching, precepts > answer oracle1657 1657 T. Aylesbury Treat. Confession of Sinne xii. 343 It was the glory of Queen Elizabeth..that wise answer or Oracle she returned to a Pragmatick Petition. 10. Usually with capital initial. [See quot. 1976.] A type of teletext system developed for British commercial television. Cf. Ceefax n.A proprietary name in the United Kingdom. ΘΚΠ society > communication > broadcasting > television > [noun] > teletext, etc. Ceefax1972 oracle1973 teletext1974 viewdata1975 videotext1977 Prestel1978 videotex1978 Teletel1979 Minitel1982 1973 IBA Techn. Rev. iii. 61 Oracle—broadcasting the written word. Engineers of the IBA have recently developed..an experimental data system, Oracle, capable of providing a continuous public information service on conventional television transmitting networks. 1976 P. R. Hutt in IBA Techn. Rev. ix. 4/2 The author hit on the idea of the name ‘oracle’ one Sunday while lunching with friends. Being a classical source of advice and information the name seemed to be very apposite, and it was not long before it was made into an acronym for ‘Optional Reception of Announcements by Coded Line Electronics’. 1986 A & B Computing Nov. 28/1 Both the ceefax and oracle systems broadcast software for many of the popular microcomputers. 1992 Marketing Week (BNC) 17 Jan. 11 Associated Newspapers is understood to be considering a bid for the Oracle teletext franchise. 2003 Guardian (Nexis) 13 Jan. 31 The race-day steward took the decision to call it [sc. a race meeting] off... We informed Ceefax, Oracle and the Racing Channel. 11. Computing. Usually with capital initial. A proprietary name for: a commercial relational database management system and computer-assisted software engineering tool set. ΚΠ 1982 Mini/Micro 82 Conf. Rec. 14/1 (title) An overview of ORACLE. 1983 Computerworld (Nexis) 31 Jan. 12 Oracle..is billed as the first mainframe-oriented data base management system (DBMS) to be transported to the microcomputer. 1989 DEC Professional Sept. 74/3 Natural language runs with Rdb, Ingres, Oracle, Sybase and Informix. 1994 Internet World Jan. 109/2 Local oracle programs have existed in various places for many years. Compounds C1. oracle-monger n. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > medium or mouthpiece of the deity, oracle > self-appointed oraculizer1634 oraculist1652 oracle-monger1673 1673 W. Cave Primitive Christianity i. i. 7 The Impostor setting up for an Oracle-monger. 1860 G. Rawlinson tr. Herodotus Hist. IV. vii. vi. 6 Onomacritus of Athens, an oracle-monger [Gk. χρησμολόγος]..who set forth the prophecies of Musæus. 1949 H. A. R. Gibb Mohammedanism iii. 36 Mohammed's utterances were delivered in a sinewy oracular style... This style is..that of the ancient kāhins or Arabian oracle-mongers. † oracle-shop n. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1675 C. Cotton Burlesque upon Burlesque 114 He sets up Oracle-shops in Greece. C2. oracle bone n. Archaeology (chiefly in plural) the bone of a ritually killed animal, carved with script and used in ancient China for divination. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination by natural phenomena > divination from bones > [noun] > bones used in ancient China oracle bone1915 1915 Encycl. Relig. & Ethics VIII. 262/1 During recent years a very interesting discovery of ‘oracle bones’ and tortoise-shell fragments was made in the province of Honan. 1970 W. Bray & D. Trump Dict. Archaeol. 167/2 Oracle bones... A groove was cut in the bone, after which a hot point was applied nearby, and the shape of the resulting cracks determined the answer. 1990 R. O. Butler Relic in S. Ravenal New Stories from South (1991) 79 A part of an oracle bone from the earliest times of my country, the bone of some animal killed by ritual and carved with the future in Chinese characters. oracle oak n. U.S. regional (western) the oak Quercus × moreha, a natural hybrid native to California (also called Spanish oak). ΚΠ 1925 W. L. Jepson Man. Flowering Plants Calif. 277 Q[uercus] morehus... Oracle Oak. 1979 E. L. Little Checklist U.S. Trees 223 Another hybrid of wider distribution in California is Q. × moreha Kellogg (Q. kelloggi × wislizeni), oracle oak. Derivatives ˈoracle-like adj. ΚΠ 1582 R. Mulcaster 1st Pt. Elementarie v. 23 For that is most trew, which is vttered by manie, but most oraclelike by Plato, concerning the strength of that iuyce. 1664 B. Gerbier Counsel to Builders (new ed.) i. sig. d Your Apollo's Oracle-like Arcenal. 1854 G. A. Sala in Househ. Words 30 Sept. 147/1 The commander..oracle-like, does not explain how he intends to accomplish this feat. 1993 Man 28 722 The Tishana are now more likely to go to the magician-diviners for oracle-like consultations. † oracle-wise adv. Obsolete rare ΚΠ 1625 K. Long tr. J. Barclay Argenis i. xx. 64 Meleanders thoughts runne vpon that, that Oracle-wise was vttered by her. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). oraclev. Brit. /ˈɒrəkl/, U.S. /ˈɔrək(ə)l/ Origin: Formed within English, by conversion. Etymon: oracle n. Etymology: < oracle n. Now rare. 1. transitive. To utter or pronounce as an oracle; to prophesy or proclaim as by divine inspiration or authority. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > utter as an oracle [verb (transitive)] oraclec1595 oraclize1648 oraculate1822 c1595 R. Southwell St. Peter's Complaint Ded. The Heathen, whose Gods were chiefely canonized by their Poets, and their paynim Diuinitie oracled, in verse. 1602 W. Watson Decacordon Ten Quodlibeticall Questions 356 We finde this difference..to be oracled from those diuine lips that knew best how to terme them. 1645 J. Milton Colasterion 1 A by-blow from the Pulpit..more beholding to the autority of that devout place..then to any sound reason which it could oracle. 1866 Galaxy 1 Oct. 212 Joseph Smith has said that after these revolutions, which his very work oracled, Germany would become the greatest missionary cradle of [the] Mormon empire. 1922 J. Joyce Ulysses ii. ix. [Scylla & Charybdis] 177 All these questions are purely academic, Russell oracled out of his shadow. 1952 C. Day Lewis tr. Virgil Aeneid iii. 58 This is not the land which Delian Apollo Oracled for you. †2. intransitive. To speak as an oracle. Obsolete. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > speak as an oracle [verb (intransitive)] oracle1654 oraclize1709 oraculate1919 1654 R. Whitlock Ζωοτομία 254 If it Oracle contrary to our Interest, or Humour, we will create an Amphiboly..and make it speak our meaning. 1790 By-stander 159 He augured—or Oracled, if Mr. Bell likes it better—very greatly of the prodigious improvements he would make. 1812 W. Tennant Anster Fair vi. xxxiv. 143 Nor deem that some dumb beldam..Hath, oracling, deceiv'd me like a fool. 1866 B. S. Dunn Brazil, Home for Southerners xiv. 220 In oracling upon the subject the general conclusion of writers on the cotton future, was, that India [etc.]. Derivatives oracling adj. and n. ΘΚΠ the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [noun] > action of uttering an oracle oracling1584 the mind > mental capacity > expectation > foresight, foreknowledge > prediction, foretelling > divination through oracles > [adjective] > of person: uttering as an oracle oracling1584 oraculous1606 oracular1821 1584 R. Scot Discouerie Witchcraft ix. iv. 171 The cousening tricks of oracling priests and monkes. 1655 T. Ady Candle in Dark 77 A hollow feigned voyce which those Witches or Deceivers used in their Oracling Divinations. 1671 J. Milton Paradise Regain'd i. 455 No more shalt thou by oracling abuse The Gentiles. View more context for this quotation 1774 Weekly Mag. 8 Sept. 329/1 The original word signifies in scripture sometimes the gift of oracling, and sometimes the person that hath such a gift. 1857 R. R. Madden Phantasmata I. 268 The Hebrew..word ob signifies in Scripture, sometimes the gift of oracling, and sometimes the person that hath such a gift. 1995 K. Samplonius in A. B. Mulder-Bakker Sanctity & Motherhood ii. iii. 69 Female visionary power manifested itself in Antiquity, where it culminated in the oracling sibyls. This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2004; most recently modified version published online March 2022). < n.c1425v.1584
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oraclen.

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oraclev.

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