foretoken

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English

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Etymology 1

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From Middle English foretokne, fortacne, from Old English foretācn, foretācen (foretoken, presage, prognostic, prodigy, sign, wonder), equivalent to fore- +‎ token. Cognate with Dutch voorteken, German Low German Vörteken, German Vorzeichen.

Noun

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foretoken (plural foretokens)

  1. A prognostic; a premonitory sign; warning or presentiment.
    • 1590, Philip Sidney, The Countess of Pembroke's Arcadia, Book II, ch. 10:
      Therefore know you Gentlemen (to whom from my harte I wish that it may not proue ominous foretoke[n] of misfortune to haue mette with such a miser as I am) that whatsoeuer my sonne (ô God, that trueth binds me to reproch him with the name of my sonne) hath said, is true.
Translations
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Etymology 2

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From Middle English *foretoknen, fortaknen, from Old English foretācnian (to foreshow).

Verb

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foretoken (third-person singular simple present foretokens, present participle foretokening, simple past and past participle foretokened)

  1. (transitive) To betoken beforehand; prognosticate; foreshadow; give warning of; presage.
Derived terms
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