A Roman priest or soothsayer who practiced divination by examining the entrails of sacrificed animals, especially livers.
From Latin aruspex (also haruspex), possibly from Etruscan origin; root meaning unclear but may relate to 'entrail-examiner,' fundamental to Roman religious practice.
Roman generals would consult aruspices before major battles—they'd kill an animal and read its liver like we'd read a weather forecast, and soldiers actually trusted these predictions enough to go to war.
Latin term for Etruscan diviner; masculine form. Female diviners existed but linguistic tradition recorded only male practitioners, erasing women's roles in augury and divination practices.
Use 'diviner' or 'haruspex' (which applies to any gender) when referring to modern contexts or general audiences.
["diviner","haruspex","augur"]
Women served as priestesses and seers across Mediterranean cultures (Sibyls, Pythias); Etruscan and Roman divination was not exclusively male despite masculine linguistic convention.
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