What does horary mean?
Horary is a rare adjective meaning relating to an hour or to time. Its best-known use is in horary astrology, a historical practice in which an astrologer casts a chart for the precise moment a question is asked in order to interpret that question. The timing of the consultation is therefore treated as significant rather than incidental. In general usage, horary can describe something connected with a particular hour, though the phrase horary astrology is much more established than this broader sense. The word is chiefly found in scholarly writing about astrology, medieval and Renaissance divination, and the history of astronomy and the calendar. For modern readers, it provides a useful distinction between a horoscope—a chart or prediction—and the time-specific method of inquiry called horary astrology.
adjectiveRelating to the time at which something occurs or is judged. In astrology, the term refers specifically to the casting of a chart to answer a question asked at a particular moment.
- Relating to or marking an hour or a particular time.
- Relating to horary astrology, in which a chart is cast for the moment a question is asked.
"The astrologer consulted the horary chart before advising the king."
"The horary consideration of the chart confirmed that the journey should begin before dawn."
"For a horary reading, the astrologer noted the time at which the petitioner first spoke."
In horary astrology, timing itself becomes the chart: the exact moment a question is asked may shape its answer.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does horary come from?
Horary comes through Medieval Latin from Latin horarius, meaning “of or relating to an hour.” The Latin adjective was formed from hora, “hour,” a word borrowed from Greek ὥρα, itself associated with a season or period of time. Hour and hourly share this origin, while horoscope belongs to a separate compound built from the same Greek time-root through the related form horos, meaning time or season.
How horary is actually used
Horary is a rare scholarly term. Outside discussions of astrology and historical divination, its general sense relating to time is uncommon.
Easily confused with horary
Horary is an adjective describing astrology concerned with a question posed at a specific time, whereas a horoscope is a chart or prediction based on the positions of celestial bodies.