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)/, SAMPA: /"hA:(r).bIn.dZ@(r)/
• (US) enPR: härʹbĭnjər, IPA: /ˈhɑːɹbɪndʒɚ/, 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 (zh), 预兆 (zh) (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) 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) German: ankündigen (de) Greek: προαναγγέλλω (el) (proanangéllo)

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

References

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