harbinger

WOTD – 26 March 2007    

English

Etymology

Originally, a person that is sent in advance to provide lodgings. From Middle English herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor ( > French héberger (“to accommodate, put up”)), from Frankish *heriberga (“lodging, inn”, literally “army shelter”), from Proto-Germanic *harjaz (“army”) + *bergô (“protection”). Compare German Herberge, Italian albergo, Dutch herberg, English harbour. More at here, borrow.

Pronunciation

• (RP) IPA: /ˈhɑː(ɹ).bɪn.dʒə(ɹ)/, X-SAMPA: /"hA:(r).bIn.dZ@(r)/
• (US) enPR: härʹbĭnjər, IPA: /ˈhɑːɹbɪndʒɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"hA:rbIndZ@`/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

harbinger (plural harbingers)

1. A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.

Synonyms

• herald, omen, premonition, sign, signal, prophet

Translations

that which foretells the coming of something

• Catalan: anunciador (ca) m, herald (ca) m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 預兆 (cmn), 预兆 (cmn) (yùzhào)

• Dutch: voorbode (nl) m
• Finnish: airut (fi)
• French: présage (fr) m
• German: (person) Vorbote (de) m, (thing) Omen (de) n
• Greek: προάγγελος (el) (proángelos) m , πρόδρομος (el) (pródromos) m 
• Icelandic: boðberi (is) m, fyrirboði (is) m, undanfari (is) m
• Italian: (person) messaggero (it) m, araldo (it) m, (thing) presagio (it) m, precursore (it), foriero (it)

• Japanese: 前触れ (ja) (まえぶれ, maebure)
• Latin: praenuntius (la) m
• Portuguese: arauto (pt) pl
• Russian: провозвестник (ru) (provozvéstnik) m , предвестник (ru) (predvéstnik) m 
• Serbo-Croatian: predšasnik (sh), najava (sh), navesnik (sh), nagovest (sh), nagoveštaj (sh)
• Spanish: anunciador (es) m, anunciante (es) m
• Swedish: förebud (sv), förlöpare (sv)

Verb

harbinger (third-person singular simple present harbingers, present participle harbingering, simple past and past participle harbingered)

1. (transitive) To announce; to be a harbinger of.

Synonyms

• herald

Translations

to announce

• Catalan: anunciar (ca)
• Dutch: aankondigen (nl)
• French: annoncer (fr), présager (fr)
• German: ankündigen (de)
• Greek: προαναγγέλλω (el) (proanangéllo) 

• Italian: annunciare (it), presagire (it)
• Norwegian: innvarsle (no)
• Russian: предвещать (ru) (predveščát’) 
• Spanish: anunciar (es)
• Swedish: förebåda (sv), varsla (sv)

References

• harbinger in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913