Presage
noun / verb /ˈpres.ɪdʒ/ — An omen or to portend something to come
Definition
A sign or warning that something — typically bad — is going to happen. As a verb, to presage is to be a warning or portent of a future event.
Beyond the definition
The sensation of knowing something is coming before it arrives. A presage is fate's advance notice, delivered in the language of feeling rather than fact.
Origin & history
From Latin 'praesagium' (foreboding, omen) — from 'praesagire' (to perceive beforehand) — 'prae' (before) + 'sagire' (to perceive keenly). To perceive something before it has happened.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The calm before the storm was itself a presage — she had learned to read that particular stillness.
Her dream was a presage she didn't recognise until the event it predicted had already passed.
Dark clouds presage rain; that particular quality of light presages something harder to name.
How to use it
Follow this entry’s examples for grammatical form and sentence placement.
Choose “Presage” when the meaning fits your context: A sign or warning that something — typically bad — is going to happen. As a verb, to presage is to be a warning or portent of a future event.
Synonyms
Antonyms
afterthought, retrospect
Related words
Questions about this word
What does "Presage" mean?
Presage is noun / verb meaning: An omen or to portend something to come. A sign or warning that something — typically bad — is going to happen. As a verb, to presage is to be a warning or portent of a future event.
Where does the word "Presage" come from?
From Latin 'praesagium' (foreboding, omen) — from 'praesagire' (to perceive beforehand) — 'prae' (before) + 'sagire' (to perceive keenly). To perceive something before it has happened.