sibyl

[ sib-uhl ]
See synonyms for sibyl on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. any of certain women of antiquity reputed to possess powers of prophecy or divination.

  2. a female prophet or witch.

Origin of sibyl

1
1250–1300; <Greek SíbyllaSibylla; replacing Middle English Sibil<Medieval Latin Sibilla<Greek, as above

Other words for sibyl

Other definitions for Sibyl (2 of 2)

Sibyl

or Sib·ylle

[ sib-uhl ]

noun
  1. a female given name.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use sibyl in a sentence

  • The decrees of the gods and the Fates were generally revealed to men by priestesses called sibyls.

  • I exclaimed with unconcealed delight, for I fully recognised the influence he had over Sibyls father.

    The Sorrows of Satan | Marie Corelli
  • Thanks to my abundance of cash, everything concerning Sibyls suicide was admirably managed.

    The Sorrows of Satan | Marie Corelli
  • The opposite wall is covered by a group of Prophets and of Sibyls—a combination which was not uncommon in later Christian art.

    The Story of Perugia | Margaret Symonds
  • Now Varro declares there were many sibyls, and not merely one.

    The City of God, Volume II | Aurelius Augustine

British Dictionary definitions for sibyl

sibyl

/ (ˈsɪbɪl) /


noun
  1. (in ancient Greece and Rome) any of a number of women believed to be oracles or prophetesses, one of the most famous being the sibyl of Cumae, who guided Aeneas through the underworld

  2. a witch, fortune-teller, or sorceress

Origin of sibyl

1
C13: ultimately from Greek Sibulla, of obscure origin

Derived forms of sibyl

  • sibylline (ˈsɪbɪˌlaɪn, sɪˈbɪlaɪn) or sibyllic or sibylic (sɪˈbɪlɪk), adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012