Tiburtine Sibyl
/tɪˈbɜːr.taɪn ˈsɪbɪl/noun
A prophetic woman traditionally associated with the ancient Italian city of Tibur, now Tivoli.
Did you know?The Tiburtine Sibyl became especially famous in Christian medieval art because a later Latin prophecy attributed to her was interpreted as foretelling Christ’s coming, though the surviving text is not demonstrably an authentic pre-Christian oracle.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient pre-Roman period
Italic
Tibur
“The ancient name of the settlement later known as Tivoli; its ultimate etymology is uncertain.”
1st Century BCE–1st Century CE
Latin
Sibylla Tiburtina
“The Tiburtine Sibyl, a prophetic woman associated with Tibur in Roman literary tradition.”
Late Antiquity
Latin
Sibilla Tiburtina
“A Latin form used for the prophetess connected with Tibur.”
4th–5th Century CE
Latin
Oracula Sibyllina
“Sibylline oracles: collections of prophetic verses circulating in Jewish and Christian communities; later tradition connected some material with the Tiburtine Sibyl.”
11th–12th Century
Medieval Latin
Tiburtina Sibilla
“A prominent Christian legendary prophetess whose supposed oracle was read as predicting Christ.”
Modern English
English
Tiburtine Sibyl
“The legendary prophetess associated with ancient Tibur, modern Tivoli, especially in medieval Christian tradition.”