prescient
having prescience, or knowledge of things or events before they exist or happen; having foresight: The prescient economist was one of the few to see the financial collapse coming.
Origin of prescient
1word story For prescient
Going from back to front, praescīscere is a compound verb made up of the inceptive verb scīscere “to get to know” (an inceptive verb is one that shows the beginning of an action), formed from the simple verb scīre “to know” and the inceptive infix -sc-. Prae- is the tricky part: It is the Latin preposition and prefix prae, prae- “in front, ahead, before.”
Even in very early Republican times, Latin country dialects simplified the diphthong ae to ē (or long e ), as in rustic Latin hēdus for urban (that is, Roman) haedus “goat.” By the time of the late Republic, in the first century b.c., and the first century a.d., in early Imperial times, the change from ae to ē became general, first in unaccented vowels and afterward in accented vowels too. By the fourth century, ae and e (or short e ) were also confused, and written texts show baene for Classical Latin bene “well,” and braevis for Classical Latin brevis “short.” The Roman grammarian Servius, in a note on the Aeneid, feels it necessary to explain that miserae is the adjective, not the adverb miserē.
The confusion of ae and e persisted throughout ancient, medieval, and modern times. Even today British English prefers the spelling ae, and Americans the spelling e (especially in scientific and medical terms derived via Latin from Greek), as in anaemia and anemia, haemophilia and hemophilia, leukaemia and leukemia, paediatrics and pediatrics.
Other words from prescient
- pre·scient·ly, adverb
- non·pre·sci·ent, adjective
- non·pre·sci·ent·ly, adverb
- un·pre·scient, adjective
- un·pre·scient·ly, adverb
Words Nearby prescient
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024
How to use prescient in a sentence
Nowhere was this more true, or more prescient, than on a farm in Santa Rita do Sapucaí, Brazil.
Yes, this game was released in 2001, and was that prescient.
Looking back, Elden’s decisions may appear both responsible and prescient.
New COVID studies bring some holiday cheer for pregnant women | jakemeth | December 23, 2020 | FortuneA few months ago, a news report of a couple from Quebec fleeing covid-19 for a small town in the Yukon made this an oddly prescient story.
The perfect science fiction, fantasy and genre-bending tales for the chilly days ahead | Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Lavie Tidhar | December 18, 2020 | Washington PostWhat might have seemed laughably shortsighted at the time was actually prescient.
Toys Are the Future of Philosophy - Issue 93: Forerunners | Jonathon Keats | December 9, 2020 | Nautilus
In fact, the original Burroughs books possess a clear “green” streak that now seems quite prescient.
Can Tarzan of the Apes Survive in a Post-Colonial World? | Ted Gioia | November 23, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTHead of State was prescient, but hollow; I Think I Love My Wife was bland; and the documentary Good Hair was fascinating fun.
Oscar Season Kicks Off in Toronto: Channing Tatum, Kristen Stewart, and More Court Awards Glory | Marlow Stern | September 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTWhat is striking about the novel when read today, however, is its prescient embrace of technology.
Zen, Motorcycles, And The Cult of Tech: How Robert Pirsig’s Classic Anticipated the Future | Nathaniel Rich | August 31, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTYou spoke out against the Iraq War early on, which was pretty prescient.
Mark Ruffalo Blasts Iraq’s GOP Warmongers, Talks ‘Begin Again’ and ‘Avengers’ | Marlow Stern | June 30, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTIf she runs in 2016, her prescient advocacy for early-childhood education might be peaking at just the right time.
How a Kids Program Hillary Brought to Arkansas Could Unite Democrats | Eleanor Clift | April 25, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTThe prescient Bishop, however, had provided fresh robes, and a circlet of gold was made to do duty for a crown.
King Robert the Bruce | A. F. MurisonMeanwhile, the prescient shadow of the coming "boom" had stolen over the hills and the work of the Guard had grown rapidly.
The Trail of the Lonesome Pine | John Fox, Jr."But I'm afraid we can't ask the Merridews back, as we ought," she said, once more socially prescient.
In Accordance with the Evidence | Oliver OnionsA guy with a dream—or perhaps a prescient glimpse of his own future.
The Planet Strappers | Raymond Zinke GallunHe ruled over lands, and was of all men wisest and prescient of the future.
The Elder Eddas of Saemund Sigfusson; and the Younger Eddas of Snorre Sturleson | Saemund Sigfusson and Snorre Sturleson
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