por·tent
Audio Help [pawr-tent, pohr-] Pronunciation Key
Audio Help [pawr-tent, pohr-] Pronunciation Key –noun
| 1. | an indication or omen of something about to happen, esp. something momentous. |
| 2. | threatening or disquieting significance: an occurrence of dire portent. |
| 3. | a prodigy or marvel. |
| Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2006. |
portent
To learn more about portent visit Britannica.com
| © 2008 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |
| por·tent
Audio Help (pôr'těnt', pōr'-) Pronunciation Key
n.
[Latin portentum, from neuter past participle of portendere, to portend; see portend.] |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
portent
1563, from M.Fr. portente, from L. portentum "a sign, omen," from neut. of portentus, pp. of portendre (see portend). Portentous is recorded from c.1540.
| Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper |
| portent | |
noun | |
| a sign of something about to happen; "he looked for an omen before going into battle" [syn: omen] |
| WordNet® 3.0, © 2006 by Princeton University. |
portent [ˈpoːtent] noun
something usually strange and remarkable that warns of some future happening
Example: strange signs and portents
Example: strange signs and portents
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| Kernerman English Multilingual Dictionary, © 2000-2006 K Dictionaries Ltd. |
Portent
Por*tent"\ (?; 277), n. [L. portentum. See Portend.] That which portends, or foretoken; esp., that which portends evil; a sign of coming calamity; an omen; a sign. --Shak. My loss by dire portents the god foretold. --Dryden.| Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc. |
portent
portent was Word of the Day on November 18, 2003.
| Dictionary.com Word of the Day |
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