Where does “auspicious” come from?
Auspicious comes from Latin auspiciosus, formed from auspex (one who observes birds) and the suffix -iosus, ultimately derived from avis (bird).
auspicious (English): Of good omen; indicating future success;...
Definitions
- Of good omen; indicating future success;...
Ancestry of “auspicious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | auspice | Patronage or protection; An omen or a sign;... |
| 2 | Latin | auspicium | divination, augury; auspices; sign, indication |
| 3 | Latin | auspex | an augur; an officiating priest |
| 4 | Latin | avi-spex | — |
| 5 | Latin | speciō | to observe, watch, look at |
| 6 | Proto-Italic | spekjō | to observe, to see |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |