Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun An inspired utterance of a prophet, viewed as a revelation of divine will.
  • noun A prediction of the future, made under divine inspiration.
  • noun Such an inspired message or prediction transmitted orally or in writing.
  • noun The vocation or condition of a prophet.
  • noun A prediction.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun Inspired discourse; specifically, in Christian theol., discourse flowing from the revelation and impulse of the Holy Spirit.
  • noun A prediction; declaration of something to come; especially, a foretelling under divine inspiration.
  • noun Interpretation of Scripture; religious exhortation or instruction.
  • noun In liturgics: A lection from the Old Testament, especially a eucharistic or missal lection; also, a lection in the Mozarabic daily office, and in the Greek Church at sabbath vespers on certain festivals.
  • noun The canticle Benedictus (Luke i. 68-79) as sung in the Gallican liturgy, afterward displaced by the Gloria in Excelsis.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • noun A declaration of something to come; a foretelling; a prediction; esp., an inspired foretelling.
  • noun (Script.) A book of prophecies; a history.
  • noun Public interpretation of Scripture; preaching; exhortation or instruction.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A prediction, especially one made by a prophet or under divine inspiration.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a prediction uttered under divine inspiration
  • noun knowledge of the future (usually said to be obtained from a divine source)

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Middle English prophecie, from Old French, from Latin prophētīa, from Greek prophēteia, from prophētēs, prophet; see prophet.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Middle English prophecie, from Old French prophetie, from Latin prophētīa, from Ancient Greek προφητεία (prophēteia, "prophecy"), from προφήτης (prophētēs, "speaker of a god"), from πρό (pro, "before") + φημί (phēmi, "I tell")

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Examples

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  • speaking, "communication" with God

    July 23, 2009