Skip to content

The word for today is…

Delphic (adjective)

1: of or relating to ancient Delphi or its oracle
2 often delphic: ambiguous, obscure

Source : Merriam-Webster

Etymology : Delphi in Greece was the site of a temple to Apollo at which there resided an oracle, a woman through whom Apollo would speak, foretelling the future. The Greeks consulted the oracle frequently on matters both private and public. The prophecies were given in difficult poetry that had to be interpreted by priests, and even the interpretations could be hard to understand. When Croesus, king of Lydia, asked what would happen if he attacked the Persians, the oracle announced that he would destroy a great empire; what she didn't say was that the empire destroyed would be his own. Modern-day descendants of the oracle include some political commentators, who utter words of delphic complexity every week.

If you enjoyed this Good Oil word of the day please consider sharing it with your friends and, especially, your children.

Latest

Quick Hit

Quick Hit: The Number Chippy Won’t Name

Greens put about $1.1 billion a year, roughly $4.48 billion over four years, on care-worker pay equity. Hipkins called the 2025 change the most reprehensible thing he has seen and still will not cost the reverse. Moral fury without a price tag is not a budget.

Members Public