presage

• POS: Noun, Verb (usu participle), Verb (intransitive), Verb (transitive)
• HYPHEN: pres=age

CIDE DICTIONARY

presage, n. [F. présage, L. praesagium, from praesagire. See Presage, v. t. ].

•  Something which foreshows or portends a future event; a prognostic; an omen; an augury.  Milton.  [1913 Webster]
•  Power to look the future, or the exercise of that power; foreknowledge; presentiment.  [1913 Webster]

  "If there be aught of presage in the mind."  [1913 Webster]

Syn. -- Prognostic; omen; token; sign; presentiment.

presage, v. t. [F. présager, L. praesagire: prae before + sagire to perceive acutely or sharply. See Sagacious.].

•  To have a presentiment of; to feel beforehand; to foreknow.  [1913 Webster]
•  To foretell; to predict; to foreshow; to indicate.  [1913 Webster]

  "My dreams presage some joyful news at hand."  [1913 Webster]

presage, v. i. 

 To form or utter a prediction; -- sometimes used with of.  Dryden.  [1913 Webster]

OXFORD DICTIONARY

presage, n. & v.
--n.
1 an omen or portent.
2 a presentiment or foreboding.
--v.tr.
1 portend, foreshadow.
2 give warning of (an event etc.) by natural means.
3 (of a person) predict or have a presentiment of.

Derivative

presageful adj. presager n.

Etymology

ME f. F pr{eacute}sage, pr{eacute}sager f. L praesagium f. praesagire forebode (as PRAE-, sagire perceive keenly)

THESAURUS

presage

actuarial prediction, adumbrate, apocalypse, apprehensiveness, augur, augury, auspicate, bespeak, betoken, bode, boding, cast a horoscope, cast a nativity, clairvoyance, divine, dope, dope out, dowse for water, forebode, foreboding, forecast, forecasting, forefeeling, foreknowing, foreknowledge, forerun, foresee, foreseeability, foreshadow, foreshow, foreshowing, foresight, foretell, foretelling, foretoken, forewisdom, fortune-tell, guess, guesswork, harbinger, hariolate, have a hunch, have an intimation, herald, hunch, improbability, indicate, make a prediction, make a prognosis, make a prophecy, misgiving, omen, portend, portent, preapprehension, precognition, predict, prediction, prefiguration, prefigure, prefigurement, prefiguring, preindicate, premonition, prenotion, presagement, presaging, prescience, presentiment, preshowing, presignifying, probability, prognosis, prognostic, prognosticate, prognostication, promise, prophecy, prophesy, prophesying, prospectus, read palms, read tea leaves, read the future, shadow, shadow forth, soothsay, speculate, speculation, statistical prediction, tell fortunes, tell the future, vaticinate, vaticination

ROGET THESAURUS

presage

Priority

VB precede, come before, forerun, go before, preexist, dawn, presage, herald, usher in, be beforehand, steal a march upon, anticipate, forestall, have the start, gain the start.

Prediction

VB predict, prognosticate, prophesy, vaticinate, divine, foretell, soothsay, augurate, tell fortunes, cast a horoscope, cast a nativity, advise, forewarn, presage, augur, bode, abode, forebode, foretoken, betoken, prefigure, preshow, portend, foreshow, foreshadow, shadow forth, typify, pretypify, ominate, signify, point to, usher in, herald, premise, announce, lower, hold out expectation, raise expectation, excite expectation, excite hope, bid fair, promise, lead one to expect, be the precursor, extrapolate, project.

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.