Meaning & Definition of word "Portent"
to
Portent
/ˈpɔːrtənt/
noun:
- 1. A sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen.
- Example: The dark clouds on the horizon were seen as a portent of the approaching storm.
- 2. An omen or a prophetic indication.
- Example: The owl's hoot at midnight was considered a portent of death in local superstition.
- 3. Something that foreshadows a future event.
- Example: Scientists regarded the melting glaciers as a portent of climate change impacts to come.
- 4. An indication or predication of something to come.
- Example: The stock market's sudden drop was viewed as a portent of an impending recession.
Etymology
From Latin 'portentum', which means 'a forewarning', from 'portendere' meaning 'to foretell'.
Common Phrases and Expressions
portent of doom:
A sign indicating impending disaster.
dark portent:
A gloomy or ominous sign.
Related Words
omen:
A phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future.
augury:
The practice of interpreting omens from the observed behavior of animals.
sign:
An indication or evidence of something.