General:
* A person or thing considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic predictions. This is the most general definition and covers a wide range of applications.
Historically:
* In ancient Greece and Rome, a person or place considered to be a source of divine pronouncements. This refers to the specific practice of seeking divine guidance through priests or mediums associated with specific temples or locations.
Technology:
* A software system that provides answers to questions or performs specific tasks based on a set of data. This definition is more specific to the modern world, where oracles are used in fields like artificial intelligence and data analysis.
Other relevant definitions:
* A prophetic utterance or a revelation of divine will.
* A person who delivers oracles.
* A wise and trusted advisor.
To understand the best definition for your specific context, consider the sentence or situation where "oracle" is used.