See also: pressage, présage, and présagé

English

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle English presage, from Latin praesāgium.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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presage (plural presages)

  1. A warning of a future event; an omen.
    • a. 1786, [Richard Glover], “Book the Twenty-eighth”, in [Mrs. Halsey], editor, The Athenaid, a Poem, [], volume III, London: [] T[homas] Cadell, [], published 1787, →OCLC, page 213, lines 354–357:
      Speak frankly, Mirzes—nor believe thy words, / Whatever black preſages they contain, / Subjoin'd to all Trophonius hath foretold, / Can change my firm reſolves, or blunt my ſword.
  2. An intuition of a future event; a presentiment.

Translations

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Verb

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presage (third-person singular simple present presages, present participle presaging, simple past and past participle presaged)

  1. (transitive) To predict or foretell something.
    • c. 1591–1595 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Romeo and Ivliet”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies [] (First Folio), London: [] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene i]:
      (Q2 version):
      If I may truſt the flattering truth of ſleepe, / My dreames preſage ſome ioyfull newes at hand : / My boſomes L. ſits lightly in his throne : / And all this day an vnaccuſtom’d ſpirit, / Lifts me aboue the ground with cheatfull thoughts []
    • 2012 November 7, Matt Bai, “Winning a second term, Obama will confront familiar headwinds”, in The New York Times[1]:
      That brief moment after the election four years ago, when many Americans thought Mr. Obama’s election would presage a new, less fractious political era, now seems very much a thing of the past.
  2. (intransitive) To make a prediction.
  3. (transitive) To have a presentiment of; to feel beforehand; to foreknow.

Synonyms

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Translations

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The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Anagrams

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