augury

IPA/ˈɔːɡjəri/
IPA/ˈɔːɡjəri/

augury — 名詞

  • augurysingular
  • auguriesplural

1. an event or sight that people take as a clue about what lies ahead

1.名詞C2
釋義

預兆；徵兆

被視為預示未來的事件或跡象

an event or sight that people take as a clue about what lies ahead

例句

Pim watched the crow land on the roof and called it a dark augury.

Pim 看著烏鴉落在屋頂上，認為這是個不祥的預兆。

collocation: dark augury

A ring of pale light circling the moon was seen as an augury of storms.

月亮周圍一圈暗淡的光環被視為暴風雨來臨的預兆。

passive pattern: be seen as an augury of [event]

同義詞
  • omen

    more common in everyday speech; less formal than augury

  • portent

    suggests a more dramatic or threatening future event

  • sign

    broader term; not always about the future

  • harbinger

    often refers to a person or thing that signals a larger change

文法句型

an augury of + noun

a good/bad/dark augury

take/see/read [something] as an augury

用法筆記

Countable. Refers to a single sign or omen. Distinguish from sense 2, which is the uncountable practice of interpreting such signs.

常見錯誤

❌The augur of the birds was clear.
✅The augury of the birds was clear.
💡an augur is the person who reads signs; augury is the sign itself.

2. the practice of looking for meaning in natural signs to learn what is coming

2.名詞C2
釋義

占卜術

透過觀察自然現象來預測未來的技藝

the practice of looking for meaning in natural signs to learn what is coming

例句

Vinícius spent years studying augury before he became the emperor's chief adviser.

Vinícius 花了多年學習占卜術，最終成為皇帝的首席顧問。

collocation: study augury

The Roman Senate would not declare war without first performing augury by observing birds.

羅馬元老院在宣戰前會先透過觀察鳥類來進行占卜。

collocation: perform augury by [method]

同義詞
  • divination

    broader term covering all forms of fortune-telling

  • soothsaying

    more informal; often implies folk or popular practice

  • prophecy

    focuses on spoken or written predictions, not the method of obtaining them

文法句型

practise/study/perform augury

trained in augury

用法筆記

Uncountable, referring to the art or practice as a whole. Distinguish from sense 1, which is a single countable omen.