[a. OF. augurie, ad. L. augurium: cf. AUGURE.]
1. The art of the AUGUR: the practice of divining from the flight of birds, etc.; divination.
c. 1374. Chaucer, Troylus, IV. 88. I have eke foundyn by astronomye, By sort, and by augury eke truly … That fere and flaum on al the toun shal sprede.
1602. Shaks., Ham., V. ii. 230. Not a whit, we defie Augury … If it be now, ’tis not to come: if it bee not to come, it will bee now.
1718. Pope, Iliad, XVII. 259. Ennomus, in augury renown’d.
1846. Arnold, Hist. Rome, I. i. 6. Enquired of the gods by augury.
b. Skill in divining from omens; prophetic skill.
1591. Shaks., Two Gent., IV. iv. 73. Thy face, and thy behauiour, Which (if my Augury deceiue me not) Witnesse good bringing vp.
1611. Beaum. & Fl., Philaster, I. i. If he give not back his crown again, upon the report of an elder-gun, I have no augury.
2. An augural observation, ceremony or rite.
1742. Middleton, Cicero, II. vi. 85. The onely one of the College, who maintained the truth of their auguries, and the reality of divination.
1861. Hook, Lives Abps., I. v. 223. To put down pagan observances, auguries, phylacteries, and incantations.
1875. Stubbs, Const. Hist., I. ii. 30. The priests … took the auguries and gave the signal for onset.
3. An omen drawn by augury; a prognostic, portent, significant token of any kind.
1612. Drayton, Poly-olb., xii. 206. From their flight strange auguries shee drew.
1656. Cowley, Acme & Sept., iii. The God of Love … Sneez’d aloud, and all around The little Loves … Bow’d, and bless’d the Augury.
1718. Pope, Iliad, XXIV. 388. Jove … from the throne on high Dispatch’d his bird, celestial augury!
1876. Geo. Eliot, Dan. Der., II. xi. 87. The appropriateness of the event seemed an augury.
4. fig. Foreboding from tokens, presentiment, anticipation.
1783. T. Bland, in Sparks, Corr. Amer. Rev. (1853), IV. 25. I am led to form the most pleasing augury of our future greatness.
1871. Browning, Balaust., 2300. Be not extravagant in grief, no less! Bear it, by augury of better things!
5. fig. Indication or signification of the future afforded by any thing; presage, promise.
1797. Godwin, Enquirer, I. xvi. 156. Tameness is the characteristic of most fatal augury.
1843. Prescott, Mexico, II. i. (1864), 68. He resigned himself … with a docility that gave little augury of his future greatness.
