English edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

Borrowed from Scots spae.

Verb edit

spae (third-person singular simple present spaes, present participle spaeing, simple past and past participle spaed)

  1. (Scotland) To divine; foretell.
    • 1828, Thomas Keightley, The Fairy Mythology, volume I, London: William Harrison Ainsworth, page 242:
      A mermaid from the water rose,
      And spaed Sir Sinclair ill.

Derived terms edit

Anagrams edit

Scots edit

Alternative forms edit

Etymology edit

From Northern Middle English spā, from Old Norse spá (to foretell, prophesy), from Proto-Germanic *spahōną, *spehōną (to observe), from Proto-Indo-European *speḱ- (to look). Cognate with Norwegian Bokmål spå.

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

spae (third-person singular simple present spaes, present participle spaein, simple past spaed, past participle spaed)

  1. to prophesy, foretell, predict, tell fortunes
  2. to anticipate, wish, have ambitions for

Derived terms edit

  • spae-craft (the art of predicting the future)
  • spaedom (prophecy, fortunetelling)
  • spae-folk (sorcerers, wizards)
  • spaeman (fortuneteller, diviner, prophet)
  • spaer (fortuneteller, soothsayer)
  • spae-trade (the practice of fortune-telling, prophecy)
  • spae-wark (prognosticating, prophesying, soothsaying)
  • spaewife (female fortuneteller)
  • spae-woman (female fortuneteller)