sibyl

Meanings

1. 1
   noun

   in the ancient world, a woman believed to deliver divine prophecies or oracles

   Pilgrims consulted the sibyl and recorded her cryptic prophecy.

2. 2
   noun

   literary: a woman regarded as a prophet, fortune-teller, or mysterious source of wisdom

   The poet portrays the old woman as a village sibyl whose warnings are never ignored.

From Latin Sibylla and Ancient Greek Sibylla, the name or title applied to legendary female prophets. Classical and later Christian traditions recognized several sibyls, including the Cumaean Sibyl; the common noun then broadened to a prophetic or mysteriously wise woman.

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