foretoken
/'fɔ:toukən/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun:
- An event or sign that indicates or predicts an important future occurrence: A "foretoken" is something experienced or observed that serves as an advance indication of something significant to come, often with a sense of prophecy or omen.
Verb (transitive, archaic):
- To indicate or warn of beforehand; to be a sign of a future event: To "foretoken" means to serve as a harbinger or precursor, signaling that something is likely to happen.
Usage and Examples
- Noun:
- The sudden flight of birds was seen as a foretoken of the coming storm.
- Many ancient cultures looked for foretokens in natural phenomena.
- Verb:
- The dark clouds foretokened a day of heavy rain. (Archaic usage)
- Her silence foretokened her disapproval.
Advanced Usage
- "To take something as a foretoken": To interpret an event as a sign of future developments.
- He took the successful launch as a foretoken of the project's overall success.
- Often used in literary, historical, or formal contexts to describe omens or portents.
Variants and Related Words
- Foretokening (noun/adj): The act of being a foretoken; serving as a foretoken.
- The foretokening signs were ignored.
- Foretokened (verb, past tense): Served as a foretoken.
- The economic data foretokened a recession.
Synonyms
- Noun: Omen, portent, augury, harbinger, precursor, sign, indication, presage.
- Verb: Presage, portend, augur, foreshadow, betoken, herald, predict.
Antonyms
- Noun: Aftermath, result, consequence.
- Verb: Follow, result from.
Related Phrases and Idioms
- "A foretoken of things to come": A classic phrase meaning a sign indicating the nature of future events.
- The early protests were a foretoken of things to come for the regime.
- While "foretoken" itself is not commonly used in modern phrasal verbs, its synonyms are (e.g., "sign for," "point to").
Noun
- an event that is experienced as indicating important things to come
- he hoped it was an augury
- it was a sign from God