portent
English
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin portentum,[1] participle of portendere, from portendō (“I predict, I foretell”).
Pronunciation
- (Received Pronunciation) IPA(key): /ˈpɔːtɛnt/
Audio (Southern England) (file)
- (General American) IPA(key): /ˈpɔɹtɛnt/
- (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA(key): /ˈpo(ː)ɹtɛnt/
- (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA(key): /ˈpoətɛnt/
- Rhymes: -ɔː(ɹ)tɛnt, -o(ː)ɹtɛnt, -oətɛnt
Noun
portent (plural portents)
- Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.
- It was a portent of things to come.
- A portending; significance
- a howl of dire portent
- Something regarded as portentous; a marvel; prodigy.
Synonyms
- See also Thesaurus:omen
Related terms
Translations
omen
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References
- Douglas Harper (2001–2024) “portent”, in Online Etymology Dictionary.
- “portent”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.
Anagrams
French
Pronunciation
Audio (file)
Latin
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