“Auspicate” means to begin an undertaking with a ceremony meant to bring good luck — first recorded in 1604. The etymology gives away the ritual: it traces to Latin auspex, “one who observes birds,” from avis (bird) plus specere (to look). Roman augurs read the flight, calls, and feeding of birds before an army marched or an election proceeded — so to auspicate something is, literally, to birdwatch first.