soothsaying /ˈsuːθˌseɪɪŋ/（名词）
预言；占卜；预测未来的行为或实践。指通过某种超自然的方式预知或预言未来事件。
/ˈsuːθˌseɪɪŋ/
The old woman was known in the village for her soothsaying.
那位老妇人因她的预言术而在村子里远近闻名。
Throughout history, rulers have sought the guidance of soothsaying to make decisions about war and governance, though such practices were often met with skepticism by scholars.
纵观历史，统治者们常常借助占卜来决定战争与治国之策，尽管这类做法时常遭到学者们的质疑。
soothsaying 由两个古英语词根组成：sooth（意为"真实、真相"，源自古英语 sōþ）和 saying（意为"说"）。因此，soothsaying 的字面意思是"说出真相"，即"说出（未来的）真相"。在中古英语时期，这个词逐渐专指通过占卜或超自然手段预测未来的行为。与之对应的施行者称为 soothsayer（预言家）。
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