Where does “inauspicious” come from?
Inauspicious derives from English auspicious, which combines Latin auspex, meaning bird-watcher or augur, with the Latin suffix -ous denoting a quality or state.
inauspicious (English): Not auspicious; ill-omened
Definitions
- Not auspicious; ill-omened
Ancestry of “inauspicious”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | auspicious | Of good omen; indicating future success;... |
| 2 | English | auspice | Patronage or protection; An omen or a sign;... |
| 3 | Latin | auspicium | divination, augury; auspices; sign, indication |
| 4 | Latin | auspex | an augur; an officiating priest |
| 5 | Latin | avi-spex | — |
| 6 | Latin | speciō | to observe, watch, look at |
| 7 | Proto-Italic | spekjō | to observe, to see |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | spéḱyeti | to be looking at, to keep looking at |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | speḱ- | to see, to look, to observe |