precognition
/'pri:kəg'niʃn/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. Knowledge or awareness of an event before it occurs: The direct perception or foreknowledge of a future event, typically through extrasensory means or psychic ability. 2. (Law, Scottish) Preliminary examination of witnesses: In Scottish law, a formal preliminary examination of witnesses and evidence before a trial.
Usage
- General/Parapsychology: Used to describe the psychic phenomenon of knowing about something before it happens.
- Legal (Scottish): Used specifically in the context of Scottish legal procedure.
Examples
- Parapsychological context:
- Her alleged precognition of the accident troubled her deeply.
- The study aimed to test the existence of precognition under controlled laboratory conditions.
- Legal context:
- The procurator fiscal took a precognition from the key witness.
- The defense lawyer reviewed the precognitions before the trial.
Advanced Usage
- "To have a precognition of...": To experience a foreknowledge about a specific future event.
- He claimed to have had a precognition of the market crash.
- Used in academic and parapsychological literature to discuss clairvoyance or premonition as a cognitive faculty.
Variants and Related Words
- Precognitive (adj): Relating to or involving precognition.
- She reported a series of precognitive dreams.
- Precognize (verb, rare): To know or perceive beforehand.
- (Rarely used) Some believe gifted individuals can precognize future events.
Synonyms
- Foreknowledge: Awareness of something before it happens or exists.
- Premonition: A strong feeling that something is about to happen, especially something unpleasant.
- Second sight: The supposed ability to perceive future events.
- Prophecy: A prediction of what will happen in the future.
Antonyms
- Hindsight: Understanding of a situation or event only after it has happened.
- Retrocognition (Parapsychology): The supposed extrasensory perception of past events.
Notes
- In everyday English, "precognition" is most commonly associated with psychic phenomena and parapsychology.
- The Scottish legal usage is a specific technical term and is not widely used outside that jurisdiction.
Noun
- knowledge of an event before it occurs