This is an auspicious start to the week’s writing activity for the blog. I mean that in the sense that it bodes well that I am crafting this post on Tuesday ahead of the scheduled posting day of Wednesday.
Merriam-Webster: Auspicious
This word happens to be the word of the day at Merriam-Webster. This is what they have to say –
auspicious
adjective aw-SPISH-us
Definition
1 : showing or suggesting that future success is likely : propitious
2 : attended by good fortune : prosperous
Examples
Being nominated for four awards, including Best Picture, the movie proved to be an auspicious start to his directing career.
“In Chinese lobster is called ‘long xia,’ or dragon prawn, which has an auspicious ring to it.” — The Economist, 13 Feb. 2016
Did You Know?
Auspicious comes from Latin auspex, which literally means “bird seer” (from the words avis, meaning “bird,” and specere, meaning “to look at”). In ancient Rome, these “bird seers” were priests, or augurs, who studied the flight and feeding patterns of birds, then delivered prophecies based on their observations. The right combination of bird behavior indicated favorable conditions, but the wrong patterns spelled trouble. The English noun auspice, which originally referred to this practice of observing birds to discover omens, also comes from Latin auspex. Today, the plural form auspices is often used with the meaning “kindly patronage and guidance.”
Word Family Quiz
Fill in the blanks to create a word that is derived from Latin specere and refers to an illustration facing the title page of a book:
f _ o _ t _ s _ i _ _e.
Go on! have a go!
Urban Dictionary: Auspicious
Now for the Urban Dictionary definition which is unusually serious on this occasion.
TOP DEFINITION
auspicious
Promising good fortune; propitious.
The news that a team of British climbers had reached the summit of Everest seemed an auspicious sign for the reign of newly crowned Queen Elizabeth II.
by LarstaiT November 10, 2003
Have an auspicious week 🙂
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