The Etymology of Prophecy
A 'prophet' was not, originally, someone who saw the future. Greek 'prophētēs' meant 'one who speaks forth' — a spokesperson for a god, an interpreter of divine will. At Delphi, the Pythia uttered cryptic sounds while inhaling volcanic vapours; the 'prophētēs' was the priest who translated her utterances into comprehensible Greek. The predictive sense emerged because divine messages often contained warnings. English borrowed the word through Latin and Old French, and uniquely distinguishes the noun 'prophecy' (with 'c') from the verb 'prophesy' (with 's') — a spelling distinction no other language maintains. The root 'phanai' (to speak) also produced 'profane' (literally speaking outside the temple).