'aruspicy' originates from Medieval Latin, specifically the word 'haruspicia' (also seen as Latin 'haruspicium'), where 'harus-' meant 'entrails' and 'specere' meant 'to observe'.

'aruspicy' changed from the Latin word 'haruspicia' into Old French/Medieval forms (e.g. 'haruspice') and entered Middle English as 'aruspicy', with some variants losing the initial 'h'.

Initially, it meant 'divination by inspecting entrails', and over time it has remained essentially that meaning while becoming an obsolete or historical term.