spae

A woman spae the future by reading tea leaves.

Definition

1. Verb (chiefly Scottish):
   • To foretell: "spae" means to predict or foretell the future, often by supernatural means or divination.
   • To prophesy: It can also mean to speak as a prophet or to declare something that will happen.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The old woman could spae the outcome of battles before they began. (She could foretell the result.)
  • He claimed to spae the weather for the coming season. (He predicted the weather.)

Advanced Usage

• "To spae fortunes": to tell someone's fortune.

  • At the fair, a gypsy offered to spae fortunes for a small fee. (She would predict the person's future.)

• "Spaeing" (present participle): the act of foretelling.

  • Her spaeing was taken seriously by the villagers. (Her predictions were respected.)

Variants and Related Words

• Spaewife (n): a woman who practices divination or fortune-telling.

  • The spaewife lived in a cottage on the edge of the village. (A female fortune-teller.)

• Spaeman (n): a man who foretells the future.

  • The spaeman was consulted before important decisions. (A male prophet or seer.)

Synonyms

• Foretell: to predict or tell about something before it happens.
• Divine: to discover or guess something by intuition or supernatural means.
• Prophesy: to speak as a prophet; to declare a future event.

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms