harbinger

• POS: Noun, Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: har=bin=ger

CIDE DICTIONARY

harbinger, n. [OE. herbergeour, OF. herbergeor one who provides lodging, fr. herbergier to provide lodging, F. héberger, OF. herberge lodging, inn, F. auberge; of German origin. See Harbor.].

•  One who provides lodgings; especially, the officer of the English royal household who formerly preceded the court when traveling, to provide and prepare lodgings.  Fuller.  [1913 Webster]
•  A forerunner; a precursor; a messenger.  [1913 Webster]

  "I knew by these harbingers who were coming."  [1913 Webster]

harbinger, v. t. 

 To usher in; to be a harbinger of.  Bancroft.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

harbinger, n.
1 a person or thing that announces or signals the approach of another.
2 a forerunner.

Etymology

earlier = 'one who provides lodging': ME herbergere f. OF f. herberge lodging f. Gmc

THESAURUS

harbinger

Gabriel, ancestor, announce, announcer, antecedent, augury, avant-garde, bellwether, buccinator, buccinator novi temporis, bushwhacker, evangel, evangelist, explorer, forebear, foregoer, forerun, forerunner, foreshadower, foreshow, foretoken, front runner, frontiersman, fugleman, give notice, groundbreaker, guide, herald, herald angel, innovator, lead runner, leader, messenger, notify, omen, outrider, pathfinder, pioneer, point, portent, preannounce, precedent, precursor, predecessor, preindicate, premonitor, presage, presager, proclaim, run before, scout, sign, stormy petrel, trailblazer, trailbreaker, vanguard, vaunt-courier, voortrekker

ROGET THESAURUS

harbinger

Precursor

N precursor, antecedent, precedent, predecessor, forerunner, vancourier, avant-coureur, pioneer, prodrome, prodromos, prodromus, outrider, leader, bellwether, herald, harbinger, foreboding, dawn, avant-courier, avant-garde, bellmare, forelooper, foreloper, stalking-horse, voorlooper, voortrekker, prelude, preamble, preface, prologue, foreword, avant-propos, protasis, proemium, prolusion, proem, prolepsis, prolegomena, prefix, introduction, heading, frontispiece, groundwork, preparation, overture, exordium, symphony, premises, prefigurement, omen, precursory, prelusive, prelusory, preludious, proemial, introductory, prefatory, prodromous, inaugural, preliminary, precedent, a precedent embalms a principle.

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.