Oracle vs auricle

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Grammarist

Oracle and auricle are two words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the definitions of the words oracle and auricle, where these words came from and some examples of their use in sentences.

An oracle is a source of prophecies and divine advice. An oracle may be a person who may or may not be a religious figure, or its may be a place where one goes to receive a prophecy or divine advice. The word oracle is also used figuratively to mean a person who speaks with absolute authority. Oracle is derived from the Latin word oraculum which means divine announcement.

Auricle may mean the outer part of the ear or something that resembles the shape of an ear, or it may refer to an atrium of the heart. The word auricle is derived from the Latin word auricula, which means little ear.

Examples

The Oracle of Omaha clearly carries an aura of clairvoyance. (Money Magazine)

Adviser Dick Wagner, who died in March, was the industry’s “deepest thinker,” its “oracle of Denver” and even its “philosopher-king,” mourners recalled on Tuesday during a tearful memorial at the annual FPA Retreat. (Financial Planning Magazine)

Here at this temple was where the Oracle of Delphi resided — this was not myth. (The New York Times)

Now, (finally) someone has heard our calls for something new and creative, as a unique piece of auricle art has come into the scene, and naturally, we’re all ears. (Elle Magazine)

The killing blow, according to the article, came by the way of a shot that penetrated the right auricle of the heart. (The Kokomo Perspective)