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presage

[noun pres-ij; verb pres-ij, pri-seyj]
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noun
  1. a presentiment or foreboding.
  2. something that portends or foreshadows a future event; an omen, prognostic, or warning indication.
  3. prophetic significance; augury.
  4. foresight; prescience.
  5. Archaic. a forecast or prediction.
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verb (used with object), pres·aged, pres·ag·ing.
  1. to have a presentiment of.
  2. to portend, foreshow, or foreshadow: The incidents may presage war.
  3. to forecast; predict.
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verb (used without object), pres·aged, pres·ag·ing.
  1. to make a prediction.
  2. Archaic. to have a presentiment.
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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
Related formspres·age·ful, adjectivepres·age·ful·ly, adverbpres·ag·er, nounun·pres·aged, adjectiveun·pres·ag·ing, adjective

Synonyms

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1. foreshadowing, indication, premonition. 2. portent, sign, token.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words

ancestorantecedentforebearforerunnerharbingerheraldoriginaloriginatorparentpioneerpredecessorprototypeantecessor
British Dictionary definitions for presager

presage

noun (ˈprɛsɪdʒ)
  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
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verb (ˈprɛsɪdʒ, prɪˈseɪdʒ)
  1. (tr) to have a presentiment of
  2. (tr) to give a forewarning of; portend
  3. (intr) to make a prediction
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Derived Formspresageful, adjectivepresagefully, adverbpresager, noun

Word Origin

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

Word Origin and History for presager

presage

n.

late 14c., "something that portends," from Latin praesagium "a foreboding," from praesagire "to perceive beforehand, forebode," from praesagus (adj.) "perceiving beforehand, prophetic," from prae "before" (see pre-) + sagus "prophetic," related to sagire "perceive" (see sagacious).

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presage

v.

1560s, from Middle French présager (16c.), from présage "omen," from Latin praesagium (see presage (n.)). Related: Presaged; presaging.

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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper