herald

See also: Herald

English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈhɛɹəld/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛɹəld
• Homophone: Harold (Mary–marry–merry merger)

Etymology 1

From Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”) + *h₂welh₁- (“to be strong”). Compare Walter, which has these elements reversed.

Noun

herald (plural heralds)

1. A messenger, especially one bringing important news.

   The herald blew his trumpet and shouted that the King was dead.

2. A harbinger, giving signs of things to come.

   Daffodils are heralds of Spring.

3. (heraldry) An official whose speciality is heraldry, especially one between the ranks of pursuivant and king-of-arms.

   Rouge Dragon is a herald at the College of Arms.

4. (entomology) A moth of the species Scoliopteryx libatrix.
5. (advertising) A handbill consisting of an advertisement.
   • 1951 February 24, Billboard, page 52:

     New this season will be a 20-sheet poster depicting 21 K-M elephants parading to local Chevrolet agencies. Deal calls for use of the 20-sheet on poster panels where the auto agency has space allotment. Smaller versions of the same art also will be used.
     Circulation of Kelly-Miller heralds, which last season averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 copies per stand, will be in for one of the greatest boosts this year.

Synonyms

• (messenger): messenger
• (harbinger): harbinger
• (official whose speciality is heraldry): pursuivant

Derived terms

• herald moth
• herald patch

 

Related terms

• heraldic
• heraldry

Translations

a messenger, especially one bringing important news

• Albanian: lajmëtar (sq) m
• Bulgarian: пра́теник (bg) m (prátenik)
• Burmese: သံတော်ဆင့် (my) (samtauhcang.)
• Catalan: herald m
• Danish: herold c
• Dutch: heraut (nl) m
• Egyptian: (wḥm)
• Finnish: sanansaattaja (fi)
• French: héraut (fr) m
• German: Herold (de) m, Bote (de) m
• Gothic: 𐍃𐍀𐌹𐌻𐌻𐌰 m (spilla)
• Greek: κήρυκας (el) m (kírykas), αγγελιοφόρος (el) m or f (angeliofóros)

  Ancient: κῆρυξ m (kêrux)

• Indonesian: bentara (id)
• Irish: aralt m, bolscaire m
• Italian: araldo (it) m, messaggero (it) m, messo (it) m, banditore (it) m, corriere (it) m
• Japanese: 使者 (ja) (ししゃ, shisha), 布告者 (ふこくしゃ, fukokusha), 告知者 (こうちしゃ, kōchisha), 伝令官 (でんれいかん, denreikan), ヘラルド (herarudo)
• Latin: praecō m
• Macedonian: гла́сник m (glásnik), пра́теник m (prátenik)
• Maori: kaiwaewae, karere, pūrahorua
• Old Church Slavonic:

  Cyrillic: проповѣдьникъ m (propovědĭnikŭ)

• Old English: ār m
• Persian: جلویز (fa) (jalviz)
• Portuguese: arauto (pt) m, mensageiro (pt)
• Romanian: mesager (ro) m, trimis (ro) m, sol (ro) m
• Russian: ве́стник (ru) m (véstnik)
• Spanish: heraldo (es)
• Swedish: härold (sv) c
• Turkish: haberci (tr)

a harbinger giving signs of things to come

• Armenian: բանբեր (hy) (banber)
• Bulgarian: вестител m (vestitel)
• Catalan: herald m
• Dutch: aankondiger (nl) m, verkondiger m
• Esperanto: heroldo
• Finnish: airut (fi), tuoja (fi), merkki (fi)
• French: ^{(please verify)} annonciateur (fr) m, ^{(please verify)} signe avant-coureur m
• German: Verkündiger m
• Greek: πρόδρομος (el) m (pródromos), προάγγελος (el) m (proángelos)
• Italian: foriero (it) m, precursore (it) m, premonitore m, annunciatore (it) m
• Japanese: 前触れ (ja) (まえぶれ, maebure)
• Macedonian: гласник m (glasnik), весник m (vesnik), предвесник m (predvesnik)
• Maori: kawainga
• Polish: herold (pl) m
• Portuguese: arauto (pt)
• Romanian: mesager (ro) m, herald (ro) m, vestitor (ro) m
• Russian: геро́льд (ru) m (gerólʹd)
• Serbo-Croatian: glasnik (sh), vesnik (sh)
• Spanish: heraldo (es) m
• Turkish: haberci (tr), resul (tr)

an official whose speciality is heraldry

• Burmese: သံတော်ဆင့် (my) (samtauhcang.)
• Finnish: heraldikko
• French: héraut (fr)
• German: Wappenherold m, Wappenausleger m
• Greek: οικοσημολόγος m or f (oikosimológos)
• Indonesian: bentara (id)
• Irish: aralt m
• Italian: araldo (it) m
• Japanese: 布告者 (ふこくしゃ, fukokusha), 使者 (ja) (ししゃ, shisha), ヘラルド (herarudo)
• Macedonian: хералд m (herald)
• Portuguese: (Brazil) arauto (pt) m
• Romanian: herald (ro) m
• Spanish: heraldo (es) m
• Swedish: härold (sv) c, heraldiker (sv) c

moth

• Finnish: liuskayökkönen
• French: découpure (fr) f
• German: Motte (de) f
• Polish: szczerbówka f
• Turkish: güve (tr)

Verb

herald (third-person singular simple present heralds, present participle heralding, simple past and past participle heralded)

1. (transitive) To proclaim or announce an event.

   Daffodils herald the Spring.

   • 2020 December 2, Paul Bigland, “My weirdest and wackiest Rover yet”, in Rail, page 67:

     Our arrival at Worcester is heralded by the appearance of the city's cathedral tower, a solid square structure that's dominated the skyline since the 12th century.

2. (transitive, usually passive) To greet something with excitement; to hail.

   The film was heralded by critics.

Synonyms

• (announce): disclose, make known; See also Thesaurus:announce

Translations

announce

• Bulgarian: възвестявам (bg) (vǎzvestjavam)
• Dutch: aankondigen (nl), verkondigen (nl), inluiden (nl)
• French: annoncer (fr)
• German: verkünden (de)
• Greek: προαναγγέλλω (el) (proanangéllo)
• Italian: annunciare (it), proclamare (it)
• Macedonian: предвестува (predvestuva), навестува (navestuva)
• Maori: ārahi
• Norwegian:

  Bokmål: innvarsle

• Romanian: anunța (ro)
• Russian: предвещать (ru) (predveščatʹ)
• Spanish: anunciar (es)
• Turkish: haber vermek (tr), müjdelemek (tr)

Etymology 2

Noun

herald (plural heralds)

1. Alternative form of hareld (“long-tailed duck”)

Anagrams

• -hedral, Erdahl, Hadler, Halder, hardel, hareld, harled

Catalan

Noun

herald m (plural heralds)

1. herald (messenger)

Romanian

Etymology

Borrowed from English herald.

Noun

herald m (plural heralzi)

1. herald

Declension

Declension of herald

	singular		plural
	indefinite articulation	definite articulation	indefinite articulation	definite articulation
nominative/accusative	(un) herald	heraldul	(niște) heralzi	heralzii
genitive/dative	(unui) herald	heraldului	(unor) heralzi	heralzilor
vocative	heraldule		heralzilor