presage (n.)

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" (see sagacity).

also from late 14c.

presage (v.)

1560s, "foreshadow, foretoken, signify beforehand;" 1590s, "have a presentiment," from French présager (16c.), from présage "omen," from Latin praesagium "a presage," from praesagire "to perceive beforehand," from praesagus (adj.) "perceiving beforehand, prophetic," from prae "before" (see pre-) + sagus "prophetic," related to sagire "perceive" (see sagacity). Related: Presaged; presaging.

also from 1560s

Entries linking to presage

sagacity (n.)

"state or character of being keenly perceptive; acuteness of mental discernment," c. 1500, from French sagacité, from Latin sagacitatem (nominative sagacitas) "keenness of perception, quality of being acute," from sagax (genitive sagacis) "of quick perception, acute," related to sagus "prophetic," sagire "perceive keenly" (from PIE root *sag- "to track down, trace, seek;" source also of Old English secan "to seek;" see seek). Also used 17c.-18c. in reference to animals, with the meaning "acute sense of smell."

pre-

word-forming element meaning "before," from Old French pre- and Medieval Latin pre-, both from Latin prae (adverb and preposition) "before in time or place," from PIE *peri- (source also of Oscan prai, Umbrian pre, Sanskrit pare "thereupon," Greek parai "at," Gaulish are- "at, before," Lithuanian prie "at," Old Church Slavonic pri "at," Gothic faura, Old English fore "before"), extended form of root *per- (1) "forward," hence "beyond, in front of, before."

The Latin word was active in forming verbs. Also see prae-. Sometimes in Middle English muddled with words in pro- or per-.

Trends of presage

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

portend

"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 stre

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

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

prodigy

mid-15c., prodige, "a sign, portent, something extraordinary from which omens are drawn," from Old French prodige and directly from Latin prodigium "prophetic sign, omen, portent, prodigy," from pro "forth, before" (see pro-) + -igium, a suffix or word of unknown origin, perhaps

presentiment

"a direct, though vague, perception of a future event," 1714, from French presentiment (Modern French pressentiment), from pressentir "to have foreboding," from Latin praesentire "to sense or feel beforehand," from prae "before" (see pre-) + sentire "perceive, feel" (see sense (n

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

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updated on April 12, 2022

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