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Definition of portend - 3 dictionary results

por⋅tend

  [pawr-tend, pohr-]
Use portend in a Sentence
–verb (used with object)
1. to indicate in advance; to foreshadow or presage, as an omen does: The street incident may portend a general uprising.
2. to signify; mean.
Origin:
1400–50; late ME < L portendere to point out, indicate, portend, var. of prōtendere to extend. See pro- 1 , tend 1

Synonyms:
1. foretell, forecast, augur, promise, forebode.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To portend
por·tend   (pôr-těnd', pōr-)   
tr.v.   por·tend·ed, por·tend·ing, por·tends

  1. To serve as an omen or a warning of; presage: black clouds that portend a storm.

  2. To indicate by prediction; forecast: leading economic indicators that portend a recession.


[Middle English portenden, from Latin portendere; see ten- in Indo-European roots.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

portend 
1432, from L. portendere "foretell," originally "to stretch forward," from por- (variant of pro-) "forth, forward" + tendere "to stretch, extend" (see tenet).
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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