/ · 1894 Brewer’s · H · Haruspex (pl. haruspicēs)
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Persons who interpreted the will of the gods by inspecting the entrails of animals offered in sacrifice (old Latin, haruʹga, a victim; specio, I inspect). Cato said, “I wonder how one haruspex can keep from laughing when he sees another.”
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Entry taken from Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, edited by the Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D. and revised in 1895.