auspices PRONUNCIATION: (AW-spi-seez) MEANING: noun: 1. Patronage, support, or sponsorship. 2. A favorable sign. ETYMOLOGY: Plural of auspice, from Latin auspicium (divination from flight of birds), from auspex (bird watcher), from avis (bird) + specere (to look at). Ultimately from the Indo-European root awi- (bird), which is also the source of avian, ostrich, osprey, oval, ovum, ovary, egg, and caviar. Earliest documented use: 1611. USAGE: "In March, Serbian and Kosovo officials met under EU auspices for their first high-level face-to-face talks." Kosovo Parliament Rejects Move to Cancel Talks; Agence France Presse (Paris); May 5, 2011.
Posted on: Mon, 29 Jul 2013 09:55:02 +0000
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