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prefiguration

[pree-fig-yuh-rey-shuh n, pree-fig-]
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noun
  1. the act of prefiguring.
  2. that in which something is prefigured.
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Origin of prefiguration

1350–1400; Middle English prefiguracioun < Late Latin praefigūrātiōn- (stem of praefigūrātiō), equivalent to praefigūrāt(us) (past participle of praefigūrāre to prefigure) + -iōn- -ion
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

omen, trace, hint, signal, sign, warning, symptom, suggestion, manifestation, implication, reminder, inkling, expression, explanation, gesture, proof, pledge, show, augury, portent

Examples from the Web for prefiguration

Historical Examples

  • "This prefiguration of the Word by Noah is certainly curious," remarked Durtal.

    The Cathedral

    Joris-Karl Huysmans

  • The very resolution of those “splashes of colour” into faces is the prefiguration of the modern conception of form.

British Dictionary definitions for prefiguration

prefiguration

noun
  1. the act of prefiguring
  2. something that prefigures, such as a prototype
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Derived Formsprefigurative, adjectiveprefiguratively, adverbprefigurativeness, noun
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for prefiguration

n.

late 14c., from Late Latin praefigurationem (nominative praefiguratio), noun of action from past participle stem of praefigurare "to prefigure" (see prefigure).

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper