Sibylline
/ˈsɪb.ə.laɪn/noun
Relating to a Sibyl, or having a mysterious, prophetic, or cryptic quality.
Did you know?The Sibyls were legendary female oracles of the Greco-Roman world, and their prophecies were treated as so powerful that Rome kept official Sibylline Books for crisis-divination.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Greek
Greek
Σίβυλλα (Sibylla)
“A prophetic woman or oracle”
Classical Latin
Latin
sibylla
“A Sibyl, a female prophetess”
Late Latin
Latin
sibyllinus
“Pertaining to a Sibyl”
Middle English
English
sibylline
“Relating to a Sibyl or prophetic utterance”
Modern English
English
sibylline
“Mysterious, cryptic, or prophetic”