- portent
- portent 1560s, from M.Fr. portente, from L. portentum "a sign, omen," from neut. of portentus, pp. of portendre (see PORTEND (Cf. portend)).
Etymology dictionary. 2014.
portent
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Portent — may refer to:* Portent (divination), a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future * The Portent , a comic book * USS Portent (AM 106), an Auk class minesweeper … Wikipedia
portent — [n1] indication, forewarning augury, bodement, boding, caution, clue, foreboding, foreshadowing, foretoken, funny feeling*, handwriting on the wall*, harbinger, hunch, omen, premonition, presage, presentiment, prognostic, prognostication, sign,… … New thesaurus
portent — [pôr′tent΄] n. [L portentum < portendere: see PORTEND] 1. something that portends an event about to occur, esp. an unfortunate event; omen 2. a portending; significance [a howl of dire portent] 3. something amazing; marvel … English World dictionary
Portent — Por*tent (?; 277), 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. Dryden. [1913… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
portent — index caution (warning), forerunner, harbinger, indicant, indication, phenomenon (unusual occurrence) … Law dictionary
portent — *foretoken, presage, prognostic, omen, augury Analogous words: presentiment, foreboding, misgiving, *apprehension: forewarning, warning, cautioning or caution (see WARN) … New Dictionary of Synonyms
portent — ► NOUN 1) a sign or warning that something momentous or disastrous is likely to happen. 2) archaic an exceptional or wonderful person or thing. ORIGIN Latin portentum omen, token … English terms dictionary
portent — [[t]pɔ͟ː(r)tent[/t]] portents N COUNT: oft N of n A portent is something that indicates what is likely to happen in the future. [FORMAL] The savage civil war there could be a portent of what s to come in the rest of the region... I hope this is a … English dictionary
portent — por|tent [ˈpo:tent US ˈpo:r ] n literary a sign or warning that something is going to happen = ↑omen portent of ▪ Some people believe the raven is a portent of death … Dictionary of contemporary English
portent — noun 1) a portent of things to come Syn: omen, sign, signal, token, forewarning, warning, foreshadowing, prediction, forecast, prophecy, harbinger, augury, auspice, presage; writing on the wall, indication, hint; l … Thesaurus of popular words
