augury.

1. The practice of interpreting signs, especially the behavior of birds, as indications of future events.

2. An omen interpreted as pointing toward a future outcome.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• favorable augury
• augury of disaster
• practice augury

On the page

The falcon's return was taken as a favorable augury.

Her augury warned against a battle on the northern shore.

No one agreed on the auguries until the river turned black.

Usage notes

Primary category: fantasy. Historically associated with birds; broader than bird-reading in modern usage and less explicit than a spoken prophecy. Noun: augury; plural auguries.