It's the Word of the Day podcast for June 27th.
Today's word is oracular, spelled O-R-A-C-U-L-A-R.
Oracular is an adjective.
It's a formal word that can describe something used to forecast or prophesize
or something that resembles or relates to something used for such purposes.
Oracular can also describe something that resembles an oracle,
a person such as a priestess of ancient Greece through whom a deity is believed to speak.
In this sense, an oracular statement or voice conveys wisdom or solemnity.
Here's the word used in a sentence from Vulture.
The conversation that unfolds is some of writer Ben Lerner's most brilliant and daring writing to date.
A mad oracular burst of speech about technology, parenthood,
and dreaming that flits effortlessly between prose and poetry.
When the ancient Greeks had questions or problems, they would turn to the gods for answers by consulting an oracle,
a person through whom the gods communicated, usually in the form of cryptic verse.
Oracle also referred to the gods' answer or to the shrine that worshipers approached when seeking advice.
The word's root is the Latin verb orare, which means to speak.
English speakers today can use oracle to simply refer to an authoritative pronouncement
or to a person who makes such pronouncements.
For example, a designer who is an oracle of fashion.
And the related adjective oracular is used in similar contexts, such as a designer who is an oracular voice of fashion.