Phrase Finder

Meaning

Under the auspices of

The meaning of the phrase

Under the control or protection of someone or some group.

Under the auspices of

What’s the origin of the phrase ‘Under the auspices of’?

Of course, to understand the phrase ‘under the auspices of’, we need to know what auspices are. No, they aren’t pieces of a horse.

In the heyday of the Roman Empire people were employed to make predictions based on the flight of birds. These characters were known as auspexes and their observations and the token of good fortune that arose from them were called auspices.

Anyone who followed a course of action based on such a premonition felt themselves to be safe in their actions and to be ‘under the auspices’ of the favourable omens.

Famous speeches that use this phrase

  • "Profoundly penetrated with this idea, I shall carry it with me to my grave, as a strong incitement to unceasing vows that Heaven may continue to you the choicest tokens of its beneficence; that your union and brotherly affection may be perpetual; that the free constitution, which is the work of your hands, may be sacredly maintained; that its administration in every department may be stamped with wisdom and virtue; than, in fine, the happiness of the people of these States, under the auspices of liberty, may be made complete, by so careful a preservation and so prudent a use of this blessing, as will acquire to them the glory of recommending it to the applause, the affection, and adoption of every nation, which is yet a stranger to it."

    George Washington · Farewell Address ·