Oracle is the masculine noun that means a future prediction, Or the person or entity that makes this prediction. You can also indicate the will or word of God or some deity.
The activity of an oracle is related to the future guessing and prediction, with the revelation of hidden things or the will of the gods.
Furthermore, an oracle could be a class of people, such as priests and pythonesses; a specific place, such as a tomb or temple; or a ritual, such as the observation of letters, dice, corpses or animal viscera. Sometimes, oracles were made by interpreting dreams, flying birds, and reading hands.
In Ancient Greece and Rome, the oracle was the verdict or answer to a question that was asked of some god or deity. The word oracle could also refer to the deity itself or the place where the prediction was made.
In antiquity, the best known oracles were the oracle of Delphi (an important Greek city, dedicated to the God Apollo), the oracles of Zeus (in Olympia and Dodona), the oracle of amon, located in the Libyan desert.
In figurative meaning the word oracle can also be synonymous with prophecy or revelation. It also serves to classify a person who has a lot of authority or an indisputable decision.
The expression "to speak like an oracle" means to speak eloquently, correctly. Ex: The party leader spoke like an oracle, and got many votes.
Nowadays, many people want to know their future in different areas, like love for example. In these cases it is common to hear the expression "oracle of love", which indicates a prediction of the future, through mystical or esoteric activities, such as horoscope and tarot.
Delphi Oracle
The Delphic oracle was the most important oracle built in Greece, in Delphi, ancient city of Phocis. Built in the VII century; C., the oracle of Delphi was visited by thousands of people, who looked for answers from the gods to several questions.
The city of Delphi was not only important in the religious context, but also in the political sphere, since had a strong political influence in other cities, being also very important in the process of colonization.
It loses much of its importance in 450 a. Ç. and after being sacked by the Phocens, it came under the control of the Roman Empire.