Related Searches
Nearby Words
Synonyms

harbinger

 [hahr-bin-jer]   Example Sentences Origin

har·bin·ger

   [hahr-bin-jer]
noun
1.
a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; herald.
2.
anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign: Frost is a harbinger of winter.
3.
a person sent in advance of troops, a royal train, etc., to provide or secure lodgings and other accommodations.
verb (used with object)
4.
to act as harbinger to; herald the coming of.

:10

:09

:08

:07

:06

:05

:04

:03

:02

:01

Harbinger is a TOEFL word you need to know.
So is condone. Does it mean:
disregard or overlook
a person who is new to the circumstances or work in which he or she is placed; a beginner
LEARN MORE TOEFL WORDS WITH WORD DYNAMO...
Origin:
1125–75; late Middle English herbenger, nasalized variant of Middle English herbegere, dissimilated variant of Old French herberg(i)ere host, equivalent to herberg(ier) to shelter (< Germanic; see harbor) + -iere -er2

Synonyms
2. herald, forerunner, precursor, portent, indication.

Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
Cite This Source Link To harbinger
Example Sentences
  • Another harbinger of spring on Mars is huge dust storms that sweep across the planet.
  • Saturday night's affair is the harbinger of things to come.
  • Well, I would say the insomnia was the harbinger of an official funk.
EXPAND
Collins
World English Dictionary
harbinger (ˈhɑːbɪndʒə)
 
—n
1.  a person or thing that announces or indicates the approach of something; forerunner
2.  obsolete a person sent in advance of a royal party or army to obtain lodgings for them
 
—vb
3.  (tr) to announce the approach or arrival of
 
[C12: from Old French herbergere, from herberge lodging, from Old Saxon heriberga; compare Old High German heriberga army shelter; see harry, borough]

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

harbinger
c.1471, herbengar "one sent ahead to arrange lodgings" (for a monarch, an army, etc.), alt. of M.E. herberger "provider of shelter, innkeeper" (c.1175), from O.Fr. herbergeor, from herbergier "provide lodging," from herber "lodging, shelter," from Frank. *heriberga "lodging, inn" (cf. O.S., O.H.G. heriberga
EXPAND
"army shelter," from heri "army" + berga "shelter"); see harbor. Sense of "forerunner" is 1550. Intrusive -n- is 15c. (see messenger).
COLLAPSE
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Partners:WordBloglinesCitysearchThe Daily BeastAsk AnswersAsk KidsLife123SendoriThesaurus
Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright © 2012. All rights reserved.
About Privacy Policy Terms of Use API Careers Advertise with Us Contact Us Help
  • Please Login or Sign Up to use the Recent Searches feature
FAVORITES
RECENT
How many words do you know? FIND OUT