harbinger

WOTD – 26 March 2007

English

Etymology

Originally, a person that is sent in advance to provide lodgings. From Middle English herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor ( > French héberger (“to accommodate, put up”)), from Frankish *heriberga (“lodging, inn”, literally “army shelter”), from Proto-Germanic *harjaz (“army”) + *bergô (“protection”). Compare German Herberge, Italian albergo, Dutch herberg, English harbour. More at here, borrow.

Pronunciation

(RP) IPA: /ˈhɑː(ɹ).bɪn.dʒə(ɹ)/, X-SAMPA: /"hA:(r).bIn.dZ@(r)/
(US) enPR: härʹbĭnjər, IPA: /ˈhɑːɹbɪndʒɚ/, X-SAMPA: /"hA:rbIndZ@`/
Audio (US)
(file)

Noun

harbinger (plural harbingers)

A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
- Landor
  I knew by these harbingers who were coming.
(obsolete) One who provides lodgings; especially, the officer of the English royal household who formerly preceded the court when travelling, to provide and prepare lodgings.
(Can we find and add a quotation of Fuller to this entry?)

Synonyms

herald, omen, premonition, sign, signal, prophet

Translations

that which foretells the coming of something

Catalan: anunciador (ca) m, herald (ca) m
Chinese:
Mandarin: 預兆 (cmn), 预兆 (cmn) (yùzhào)
Dutch: voorbode (nl) m
Finnish: airut (fi)
French: présage (fr) m
German: (person) Vorbote (de) m, (thing) Omen (de) n
Greek: προάγγελος (el) (proángelos) m, πρόδρομος (el) (pródromos) m
Icelandic: boðberi (is) m, fyrirboði (is) m, undanfari (is) m
Italian: (person) messaggero (it) m, araldo (it) m, (thing) presagio (it) m, precursore (it), foriero (it)

Japanese: 前触れ (ja) (まえぶれ, maebure)
Latin: praenuntius (la) m
Portuguese: arauto (pt) pl
Russian: провозвестник (ru) (provozvéstnik) m, предвестник (ru) (predvéstnik) m
Serbo-Croatian: predšasnik (sh), najava (sh), navesnik (sh), nagovest (sh), nagoveštaj (sh)
Spanish: anunciador (es) m, anunciante (es) m
Swedish: förebud (sv), förlöpare (sv)

Verb

harbinger (third-person singular simple present harbingers, present participle harbingering, simple past and past participle harbingered)