Part 451

Church history and other divine learning.

South.

Syn. -- Supernatural; superhuman; godlike; heavenly; celestial; pious; holy; sacred; preëminent.

Di*vine", n. [L. divinus a soothsayer, LL., a theologian. See Divine, a.] 1. One skilled in divinity; a theologian. "Poets were the first divines." Denham.

2. A minister of the gospel; a priest; a clergyman.

The first divines of New England were surpassed by none in extensive erudition.

J. Woodbridge.

Di*vine", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Divined (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Divining.] [L. divinare: cf. F. deviner. See Divination.] 1. To foresee or foreknow; to detect; to anticipate; to conjecture.

A sagacity which divined the evil designs.

Bancroft.

2. To foretell; to predict; to presage.

Darest thou . . . divine his downfall?

Shak.

3. To render divine; to deify. [Obs.]

Living on earth like angel new divined.

Spenser.

Syn. -- To foretell; predict; presage; prophesy; prognosticate; forebode; guess; conjecture; surmise.

Di*vine", v. i. 1. To use or practice divination; to foretell by divination; to utter prognostications.

The prophets thereof divine for money.

Micah iii. 11.

2. To have or feel a presage or foreboding.

Suggest but truth to my divining thoughts.

Shak.

3. To conjecture or guess; as, to divine rightly.

Di*vine"ly, adv. 1. In a divine or godlike manner; holily; admirably or excellently in a supreme degree.

Most divinely fair.

Tennyson.

2. By the agency or influence of God.