auger (AW gur)
A tool for boring holes into wood, leather, etc.: "He used an auger to make holes in the shoes for the shoelaces."
augur (AW gur)
1. Verb: To foretell, predict, forewarn: "Dark clouds augur the coming of the thunderstorm."
2. Noun: A prophet, a prognosticator, an oracle: "A ancient Roman augur told Julius Caesar to 'Beware the Ides of March'."
3. A priest who was a member of the College of Augurs that numbered twelve, six patricians, and six plebeians: "Marc Anthony distinguished himself as a member of the College of Augurs."
1. Verb: To foretell, predict, indicate; portend, presage, forewarn: "Dark clouds augured the coming of the thunderstorm."
2. Noun: A prophet, prognosticator, oracle: "A Roman augur told Julius Caesar to 'beware the Ides of March'."
3. A priest who was a member of the College of Augurs that numbered twelve, six patricians, and six plebeians.
Before the lex Domitia de sacerdotiis was passed by Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus in 104 B.C., new augurs were chosen by those who were already in the college. After the law came into effect, augurs were to be publicly elected.
At one time, it is said that augurs did not personally predict the future, nor did they make personal interpretations of the objects or signs to determine whether or not the proposed undertaking had the approval of the gods. There was a guide book which was to be followed exactly to find out if a meeting, a proposed new law, a war, or any other State or government business should take place.
Be aware of a possible "folk-etymological" derivation error!
John Ayto writes, "In Roman times, an augur was someone who foretold the future by observing the flight of birds (or by examining their entrails). His method of divination was reflected in his title, for the Latin word augur, earlier auger, seems to have meant literally 'one who performs with birds,' from avis 'bird' (as in English aviary) and aviation and gerere 'do, perform' (as in English gestation, gesture, gerund, digest, and suggest).
—John Ayto, Dictionary of Word Origins; Arcade publishing, New York, 1990.
Another etymologist, Dr. Ernest Klein, challenges part of the above source of information
The usual derivation from avi-ger (avis, "bird", and gerere, "to bear, conduct") is folk etymology.
—According to Dr. Ernest Klein in his
A Comprehensive Etymological Dictionary of the English Language,
Elsevier Publishing Company, New York, 1966.
Regardless of any disagreement about the etymology of augur, dictionaries generally seem to be "on the same page" in that they essentially agree that it refers to Roman augurs who predicted the future by interpreting the flights of birds and by other natural occurrences; such as, examining their entrails, etc.
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