Dictionary.com

presage

[ noun pres-ij; verb pres-ij, pri-seyj ]
/ noun ˈprɛs ɪdʒ; verb ˈprɛs ɪdʒ, prɪˈseɪdʒ /
Save This Word!
See synonyms for: presage / presaging on Thesaurus.com
noun
verb (used with object), pres·aged, pres·ag·ing.
verb (used without object), pres·aged, pres·ag·ing.
to make a prediction.
Archaic. to have a presentiment.

OTHER WORDS FOR presage

1 foreshadowing, indication, premonition.
2 portent, sign, token.
See synonyms for presage on Thesaurus.com
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?
His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of presage

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

OTHER WORDS FROM presage

Words nearby presage

prerogative, prerogative court, pre-Roman, Pres, presa, presage, presale, presanctified, Presb., presbycusia, presbyopia
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Words related to presage

augur, forebode, foresee, foreshadow, foretell, portend, signify, apprehension, apprehensiveness, augury, auspice, boding, forecast, foretoken, forewarning, harbinger, intimation, misgiving, omen, portent

How to use presage in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for presage

presage
noun (ˈprɛsɪdʒ)
an intimation or warning of something about to happen; portent; omen
a sense of what is about to happen; foreboding
archaic a forecast or prediction
verb (ˈprɛsɪdʒ, prɪˈseɪdʒ)
(tr) to have a presentiment of
(tr) to give a forewarning of; portend
(intr) to make a prediction

Derived forms of presage

presageful, adjectivepresagefully, adverbpresager, noun

Word Origin for presage

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