augur

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin augur, of uncertain origin; akin to augurō (“interpret omens”).

noun

1. A diviner who foretells events by the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences.
2. (Ancient Rome) An official who interpreted omens before the start of public events.
   It was an ancient tradition, that when the Capitol was founded by one of the Roman kings, the god Terminus (who presided over boundaries, and was represented, according to the fashion of that age, by a large stone) alone, among all the inferior deities, refused to yield his place to Jupiter himself. A favorable inference was drawn from his obstinacy, which was interpreted by the augurs as a sure presage that the boundaries of the Roman power would never recede. 1776, Edward Gibbon, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Vol I, ch 1-pt ii

verb

1. To foretell events; to exhibit signs of future events; to indicate a favorable or an unfavorable outcome.
   to augur well or ill