LATIN DICTIONARYLexicon Latīnum
noun · neutersecond declension

ōrāculum

ōrāculum n (genitive ōrāculī)
Classical[oːˈraː.kʊ.ɫũː]Ecclesiastical[oˈraː.ku.lum]

Meaning

  1. A divine announcement, oracle.
  2. A prophetic declaration; prophecy.
  3. A place where oracular responses were given; oracle.
  4. An oracular saying, maxim.
  5. An imperial rescript.

Latīnē defined in Latin in our graded readers

respōnsum deī futūrōrum
ōrāculum -ī (n) — in Aeneis, ch. 7

Declension

declension
formsingularplural
nominativeōrāculumōrācula
ōrācla
genitiveōrāculī
ōrāclī		ōrāculōrum
ōrāclōrum
dativeōrāculō
ōrāclō		ōrāculīs
ōrāclīs
accusativeōrāculumōrācula
ōrācla
ablativeōrāculō
ōrāclō		ōrāculīs
ōrāclīs
vocativeōrāculumōrācula
ōrācla

Phrases from Meissner's Latin Phrase-Book

oraculum consulere
to consult an oracle.
oraculum dare, edere
to give an oracular response.
oraculum petere (ab aliquo)
to ask for an oracular response.
oraculum Pythium (Pythicum)
an oracle given by the Delphian Apollo (Apollo Pythius).

ōrācŭlum (sync. oraclum: ex oraclo, Enn. ap. Cic. Div. 1, 21, 42, or Trag. v. 65 Vahl.;
I. plur, oracla, Att. ap. Non. 488, 2, or Trag. Rel. p. 185 Rib.; Ov. M. 1, 321), i, n. oro, a divine announcement, an oracle (class.).
I. Lit.: oracula ex eo ipso appellata sunt, quod inest in his deorum oratio, Cic. Top. 20, 77: quid est enim oraculum? nempe voluntas divina hominis ore enuntiata, Sen. Contr. 1 praef.: edere, Cic. Tusc. 1, 48, 116: petere a Dodonā, id. Div. 1, 43, 95: quaerere, Verg. G. 4, 449: poscere, id. A. 3, 456: consulere, Ov. M. 3, 8: Delphis oracula cessant, Juv. 6, 555.—
II. Transf.
A. In gen., a prophetic declaration, a prophecy: exposui somnii et furoris oracula, Cic. Div. 1, 32, 70; 1, 50, 115.—
B. A place where oracular responses were given, an oracle: illud oraculum Delphis tam celebre, Cic. Div. 1, 19, 37: Hammonis, Plin. 12, 23, 49, § 107: Delphicum, Macr. S. 1, 18, 4.—
2. Esp. (eccl. Lat.), the mercy-seat, the place in the tabernacle in which the presence of God was manifest, Vulg. Exod. 25, 18; 40, 18: oraculum templi, sanctum sanctorum, id. 3 Reg. 8, 6.—
C. An oracular saying, oracle pronounced by a man: haec ego nunc physicorum oracula fundo, Cic. N. D. 1, 24, 66: inde illa reliqua oracula: nequam agricolam esse, etc., Plin. 18, 6, 8, § 40.—
D. An imperial rescript, Just. Inst. 1, 11, 11.

Origins

From ōrō (“plead, beg; pray, entreat”) + -culum.

Descendants
  • Italianoracolo
  • Romanianoracolfrom Italian oracolo
  • Frenchoraclefrom Old French oracle
  • Englishoraclefrom Old French oracle
  • Catalanoracle
  • GermanOrakel
  • Occitanoracle
  • Portugueseorago
  • Portugueseoráculo
  • Spanishoráculo

In the Academy Smith's classical dictionaries

AntiquitiesOraculumOraculum (μαντεῖον, χρηστήριον). In the vast and varied system of practical religion which prevailed in Greece, oracles took the foremost place. An or…

Quick answers

What does ōrāculum mean in Latin?
ōrāculum, a noun, means “A divine announcement, oracle.; A prophetic declaration; prophecy.”.
What is the genitive of ōrāculum?
The genitive singular is ōrāculī. ōrāculum is neuter, second declension.
How do you pronounce ōrāculum?
In classical Latin, [oːˈraː.kʊ.ɫũː]; in ecclesiastical (church) Latin, [oˈraː.ku.lum].