Etymograph

English

auspicious

Auspicious comes from Latin auspicium ‘augury’, from avis ‘a bird’, and perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’.

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-1‘to enjoy’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwis1‘bird’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*awis1‘bird’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEavis1‘a bird’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*avispeks1reconstructed
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEauspex2‘augur’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEauspicium2‘augury’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602auspicious2

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed deepest recorded ancestor

  1. 1 Wiktionary, Latin auspex
  2. 2 Wiktionary, English auspicious
  3. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “Therefore our ſometimes Siſter, novv our Queen, / Th’…”.

Lineage

  1. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂ew-Wiktionary, Latin auspex‘to enjoy’uncertain
  2. Proto-Indo-Europeanc. 4500–2500 BCE*h₂éwisWiktionary, Latin auspex‘bird’reconstructed
  3. Proto-Italicc. 1500–700 BCE*awisWiktionary, Latin auspex‘bird’reconstructed
  4. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEavisWiktionary, Latin auspex‘a bird’
  5. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CE*avispeksWiktionary, Latin auspexreconstructed
  6. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEauspexWiktionary, English auspicious‘augur’
  7. Latinc. 75 BCE–200 CEauspiciumWiktionary, English auspicious‘augury’
  8. Englishearliest quotation c. 1599–1602auspiciousWiktionary, English auspicious. Earliest quotation in Wiktionary’s entry: c. 1599–1602, William Shakespeare, The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke: “Therefore our ſometimes Siſter, novv our Queen, / Th’…”

Linked words

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- ‘to enjoy’

audience, ear, audit, obey, acoustic, avid, anesthesia, audible, ovation, aural, avarice, otolaryngology, 66 more

through Proto-Indo-European *h₂éwis ‘bird’

love, egg, oval, ey, 11 more

through Latin avis ‘a bird’

aviation, avian, aviator, aviary, ocarina, 7 more

Today it means

adj Of good omen; indicating future success.

Sources

Sources: Wiktionary, “auspicious”; the older steps come from the Wiktionary entry for Latin auspex. By Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0, via kaikki.org (dump of Oct 3 2026); text adapted and restructured. Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word. License.

Etymograph / Proto-Indo-European *h₂ew- / auspicious

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