the Pythoness

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• pythoness — noun a) A female soothsayer On the fifteenth of January, it was discovered that the pythoness had excluded rather more than a hundred dirty white, leathery looking eggs. b) A female python …   Wiktionary

• pythoness — late 14c., woman with the power of soothsaying, from O.Fr. phitonise (13c.), from L.L. pythonissa, used in Vulgate of the Witch of Endor (I Sam. xxviii. 7), and often treated as her proper name, lit. fem. of pytho familiar spirit; which… …   Etymology dictionary

• Pythoness — Pyth o*ness, n. [L. pythonissa: cf. F. pythonisse. See {Pythian}.] 1. (Gr. Antiq.) The priestess who gave oracular answers at Delphi in Greece. [1913 Webster] 2. Any woman supposed to have a spirit of divination; a sort of witch. Bp. Hall. [1913… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• PYTHONESS —    the priestess of APOLLO AT DELPHI (q.v.), so called from the PYTHON (q.v.), the dragon slain by the god …   The Nuttall Encyclopaedia

• Pythoness — noun The priestess of the oracle of Apollo at Delphi. The office of Pythoness appears not to have been desirable. Either the emanations from the cavern, or some art of the managers, threw her into real convulsions. Priests entitled prophets led… …   Wiktionary

• The Jagged Orbit — infobox Book | name = The Jagged Orbit title orig = translator = image caption = Cover of first edition (paperback) author = John Brunner illustrator = cover artist = Leo and Diane Dillon country = United Kingdom language = English series = genre …   Wikipedia

• pythoness — noun Etymology: Middle English Phitonesse, from Middle French pithonisse, from Late Latin pythonissa, from Greek Pythōn, spirit of divination, perhaps from Pythō, seat of the Delphic oracle Date: 14th century 1. a woman who practices divination 2 …   New Collegiate Dictionary

• pythoness — /puy theuh nis, pith euh /, n. 1. a woman believed to be possessed by a soothsaying spirit, as the priestess of Apollo at Delphi. 2. a woman who practices divination. [1325 75; PYTHON2 + ESS; r. ME phytonesse < MF] Usage. See. ess. * * * …   Universalium

• pythoness — noun archaic a woman believed to be possessed by a spirit and to be able to foresee the future. Origin ME: from OFr. phitonise, from an alt. of late L. pythonissa, based on Gk puthōn soothsaying demon ; cf. Pythian …   English new terms dictionary

• pythoness — /ˈpaɪθənɛs/ (say puythuhnes) noun 1. a woman supposedly possessed by a soothsaying spirit, as the priestess of Apollo at Delphi. 2. a woman with power of divination; a witch. {Late Greek pȳthōn familiar spirit, demon + ess; replacing Middle… …  

• pythoness — n. 1 the Pythian priestess. 2 a witch. Etymology: ME f. OF phitonise f. med.L phitonissa f. LL pythonissa fem. of pytho f. Gk puthon soothsaying demon: cf. PYTHON …   Useful english dictionary