portend (v.)

"to presage, foreshadow, signify in advance," early 15c., portenden, from Latin portendere "foretell, reveal; point out, indicate," originally "to stretch forward," from por- (variant of pro-; see pro-) "forth, forward" + tendere "to stretch, extend," from PIE root *ten- "to stretch." The literal Latin sense "stretch forth, extend" was occasional in English 17c.-18c. Related: Portended; portending.

also from early 15c.

Entries linking to portend

portent (n.)

"that which portends, an omen," generally a bad one, 1560s, from French portente, from Latin portentum "a sign, token, omen; monster, monstrosity," noun use of neuter of portentus, past participle of portendere (see portend).

portentous (adj.)

"of the nature of a portent, ominous," 1540s, from Latin portentosus "monstrous, marvelous, threatening," from portentem "portent," from portendere (see portend). Sometimes portentious, by influence of pretentious. Related: Portentously.

pro-

*ten-

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Trends of portend

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/. Ngrams are probably unreliable.

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bode

Old English bodian "proclaim, announce; announce beforehand, foretell," from boda "messenger," probably from Proto-Germanic *budon- (source also of Old Saxon gibod, German gebot, Old Norse boð), from PIE root *bheudh- "be aware, make aware." With good or ill, "give a (good or bad

prognosticate

"foretell by means of present signs," early 15c., prenosticaten, a back-formation from prognostication and also from Medieval Latin prognosticatus, past participle of prognosticare "foretell," from Latin prognostica "sign to forecast weather," from neuter plural of Greek prognōst

presage

late 14c., "something which portends or foreshadows," 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

signify

signifier (12c.), from Latin significare "to make signs, show by signs, point out, express; mean, signify; foreshadow, portend...

signal

late 14c., "visible sign, indication" (a sense now obsolete), also "a supernatural act of God; a device on a banner," from Old French signal, seignal "seal, imprint, sign, mark," from Medieval Latin signale "a signal," from Late Latin signalis (adj.) "used as a signal, pertaining

betoken

Middle English bitoknen "be a symbol or emblem of," from late Old English betacnian "to denote, to mean, signify; be a visible sign or emblem of," from be- + Old English tacnian "to signify," from tacn "sign" (see token) or directly from Proto-Germanic *taiknōjanan. It is atteste

pinot

type of grape vine used in wine-making, 1912, American English variant spelling of French pineau (attested in English from 1763), name of a family of wine grapes, from pin "pine tree" (see pine (n.)) + diminutive suffix -eau. So called from the shape of the grape clusters. Varian

point

c. 1200, pointe, "minute amount, single item in a whole; sharp end of a sword, etc.," a merger of two words, both ultimately from Latin pungere "to prick, pierce," from a nasalized form of PIE root *peuk- "to prick." The Latin neuter past participle punctum was used as a noun, me

predict

1620s (implied in predicted), "foretell, prophesy, declare before the event happens," a back formation from prediction or else from Latin praedicatus, past participle of praedicere "foretell, advise, give notice," from prae "before" (see pre-) + dicere "to say" (from PIE root *de

Nome

city in Alaska, founded in the 1898 gold rush and originally Anvil City after the nearby Anvil Creek, it was later renamed for nearby Cape Nome, which, according to one story is from a misreading of a British cartographer's query, ?Name, written beside the peninsula on an 1849 ma

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updated on September 05, 2020

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Dictionary entries near portend

portage

portal

portcullis

Porte

porte-cochere

portend

portent

portentous

porter

porter-house

portfolio