au·gur

1 [aw-ger]
noun
1.
one of a group of ancient Roman officials charged with observing and interpreting omens for guidance in public affairs.
2.
soothsayer; prophet.
verb (used with object)
3.
to divine or predict, as from omens; prognosticate.
4.
to serve as an omen or promise of; foreshadow; betoken: Mounting sales augur a profitable year.
verb (used without object)
5.
to conjecture from signs or omens; predict.
6.
to be a sign; bode: The movement of troops augurs ill for the peace of the area.
Origin:
1540–50; < Latin augur (variant of auger) a diviner, soothsayer, derivative of augēre to augment with orig. implication of “prosper”; cf. august

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au·gur

2 [aw-ger] Western U.S.
verb (used without object)
1.
to argue, talk, or converse.
noun
2.
an excessively talkative person.
Origin:
1920–25; metathetic variant of argue; noun perhaps by association with auger

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
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World English Dictionary
augur (ˈɔːɡə) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—n
1.  Also called: auspex (in ancient Rome) a religious official who observed and interpreted omens and signs to help guide the making of public decisions
2.  any prophet or soothsayer
 
—vb
3.  to predict (some future event), as from signs or omens
4.  (tr; may take a clause as object) to be an omen (of); presage
5.  (intr) to foreshadow future events to be as specified; bode: this augurs well for us
 
[C14: from Latin: a diviner, perhaps from augēre to increase]
 
augural
 
—adj
 
'augurship
 
—n

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
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Etymonline
Word Origin & History

augur
1540s, from L. augur, a religious official in ancient Rome who foretold events by interpreting omens, perhaps originally meaning "an increase in crops enacted in ritual," in which case it probably is from Old L. *augos (gen. *augeris) "increase," and is related to augere "increase" (see
augment). The more popular theory is that it is from L. avis "bird," since the flights, singing, and feeding of birds, along with entrails from bird sacrifices, were important objects of divination (cf. auspicious). The second element would be from garrire "to talk." The verb is c.1600, from the noun.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
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Example sentences
The big driver is rising buyer sentiment, which could augur more robust retail
  sales than predicted.
That does not augur well for retail prospects.
Shown are the average-size sundial, augur, and wentletrap in relation to an
  average-size paperclip.
If so, that would augur well for technology and electronics stocks,
  particularly smaller ones.
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