presage

[pres-ij, pres-ij, pri-seyj]

noun

1. a presentiment or foreboding.

   Synonyms: premonition, indication

2. something that portends or foreshadows a future event; an omen, prognostic, or warning indication.

   Synonyms: token, sign, portent

3. prophetic significance; augury.

4. foresight; prescience.

5. Archaic.,  a forecast or prediction.

verb (used with object)

presaged, presaging 

1. to have a presentiment of.

2. to portend, foreshow, or foreshadow.

   The incidents may presage war.

3. to forecast; predict.

verb (used without object)

presaged, presaging 

1. to make a prediction.

2. Archaic.,  to have a presentiment.

presage

noun

1. an intimation or warning of something about to happen; portent; omen

2. a sense of what is about to happen; foreboding

3. archaic,  a forecast or prediction

verb

1. (tr) to have a presentiment of

2. (tr) to give a forewarning of; portend

3. (intr) to make a prediction

Other Word Forms

• presageful adjective
• presagefully adverb
• presager noun
• unpresaged adjective
• unpresaging adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of presage¹

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Middle French presage < Latin praesāgium presentiment, forewarning, equivalent to praesāg ( us ) having a foreboding ( prae- pre- + sāgus prophetic; sagacious ) + -ium -ium

Word History and Origins

Origin of presage¹

C14: from Latin praesāgium presentiment, from praesāgīre to perceive beforehand, from sāgīre to perceive acutely

Example Sentences

If Rosenberg is right and “odds of some policy action or communication to stabilize the yen are rising,” then this could presage a major trading reversal.

Read more on MarketWatch

The 2000s brought opportunity to expand that vision, as declining production presaged a natural end to oil field operations.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Worn for a couple of weeks, the Zio monitor looks for irregular heart rhythms, such as atrial fibrillation—a racing heartbeat that can presage a stroke or heart attack.

Read more on Barron's

Their book is the first such comprehensive study of HTS and is likely to presage much further research and examination.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The announcement was presaged by recent headlines that Andrew wasn’t invited to join the royal family’s Christmas celebrations at their Sandringham estate.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• augur 
• forebode 
• foresee 
• foreshadow 
• foretell 
• portend 
• signify