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REFERENCE

oracle

n.
US //ˈɔɹəkəɫ// UK //ˈɒɹəkəl// or·a·cle
  1. 1 ancient source of prophecy (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Religion

    in ancient times, a priest or a holy place where people went to ask the gods for advice about the future.

    a priest or priestess acting as a medium through whom advice or prophecy was sought from the gods in classical antiquity.

    Example

    In ancient Greece, leaders often visited the oracle at Delphi before going to war.

    Example

    The king refused to mobilize his army until the oracle had delivered a favorable prophecy regarding the outcome of the campaign.
  2. 2 a wise person (n.)
    C1 Advanced Literary

    someone who is considered very wise and whose advice people trust.

    a person thought to possess great wisdom or authority in a particular field.

    Example

    My grandfather was the family oracle, and everyone went to him for help with their problems.

    Example

    In the world of high finance, he was regarded as an oracle whose every market prediction was followed with religious devotion.
  3. 3 computing/math entity (n.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Computing

    a system or service that provides specific information to a computer program or a smart contract.

    a theoretical or third-party entity capable of providing external data to a system, such as a blockchain or a Turing machine.

    Example

    The smart contract uses an oracle to check the current price of gold.

    Example

    The reliability of the decentralized application depends entirely on the integrity of the oracle providing real-time weather data.
    • data source
Origin

From Middle English oracle, from Old French oracle m, from Latin ōrāculum n.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Related words

Last updated June 20, 2026