Portent

• POS: Noun
• HYPHEN: por=tent

CIDE DICTIONARY

Portent, n. [L. portentum. See Portend.].

 That which portends, or foretoken; esp., that which portends evil; a sign of coming calamity; an omen; a sign.  Shak.  [1913 Webster]
"My loss by dire portents the god foretold."  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

Portent, n.
1 an omen, a significant sign of something to come.
2 a prodigy; a marvellous thing.

Etymology

L portentum (as PORTEND)

THESAURUS

Portent

adumbration, advance notice, augury, auspice, balefulness, banefulness, betokening, betokenment, bodefulness, boding, direness, doomfulness, fatality, fatefulness, foreboding, foreshadow, foreshadowing, foreshowing, foretoken, foretokening, forewarning, indicant, indication, marvel, meaning, miracle, omen, ominousness, phenomenon, plenty of notice, portentousness, precautioning, prefiguration, preindication, premonition, premonitory shiver, premonitory sign, premonitory symptom, prenotice, prenotification, presage, presagefulness, presentiment, presignifying, prewarning, prodigy, prognostic, prognostication, promise, sensation, shadow, sign, significance, sinisterness, soothsay, stunner, suggestiveness, token, tokening, type

ROGET THESAURUS

Portent

Prodigy

N prodigy, phenomenon, wonder, wonderment, marvel, miracle, monster, curiosity, lion, sight, spectacle, jeu de theatre, coup de theatre, gazingstock, sign, St. Elmo's fire, St. Elmo's light, portent, bursting of a shell, bursting of a bomb, volcanic eruption, peal of thunder, thunder-clap, thunder-bolt, what no words can paint, wonders of the world, annus mirabilis, dignus vindice nodus, natura il fece e poi roppe la stampa.

Omen

N omen, portent, presage, prognostic, augury, auspice, sign, harbinger, yule candle, bird of ill omen, signs of the times, gathering clouds, warning, prefigurement, ill-boding, auspicium melioris aevi.