foresense

English

Etymology

From fore- +‎ sense.

Verb

foresense (third-person singular simple present foresenses, present participle foresensing, simple past and past participle foresensed)

1. To perceive or sense in advance.
   • 1913, Life:

     How could these publishers foresense (what anyone can now perceive) that to give Dr. Sidis their clients' humorous writings to quote from would be like giving a Gutenburg Bible to the baby?

   • 2006, Lloyd Alexander, The Castle of Llyr:

     He knows much, but he foresenses more than he chooses to tell."

   • 2013, Hortense Calisher, Mysteries of Motion: A Novel:

     “Hey—” The way animals—men and dogs—foresense a great act of weather is in a sudden confusion of terms, an eerie loss of measurement.

Noun

foresense (uncountable)

1. The perception of a thing in advance.
2. The ability to perceive in advance.
   • 2011, Brandon C. Lay, 100 Monologues, Scenes and One Acts:

     I said, "I know it's probably strange to have the gift of foresense. Just knowing someone would be great before anyone else does. But you were right."

3. Good or right judgement beforehand.
   • 2000, David Maraniss, Ellen Nakashima, The Prince of Tennessee: The Rise of Al Gore:

     The chairman of Vanderbilt's graduate department of religion, H. Jackson Forstman, had accepted Gore into his program with what he later called “the foresense to realize that this young man was going to get involved in a lot of other things […] "