different between harbinger vs foretoken

English

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?h??b?nd??/
• (US) enPR: här?b?nj?r, IPA^(key): /?h??b?nd???/

Noun

harbinger (plural harbingers)

1. (usually in the plural) A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.

   Synonyms: forewarning, herald, omen, premonition, sign, signal, prophet

   • 1828, Walter Savage Landor, Imaginary Conversations, Lord Brooke and Sir Philip Sidney

     I knew by these harbingers who were coming.
2. (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.
   • 1644, Thomas Fuller, Truth Maintained (a sermon)

     outward decency […] is the Harbinger to provide the lodging for inward holinesse

Translations

Verb

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

1. (transitive) To announce or precede; to be a harbinger of.

   Synonym: herald

Translations

See also

• bellwether

Further reading

• Harbinger in the Encyclopædia Britannica (11th edition, 1911)
• harbinger in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.

English

Etymology 1

From Middle English foretokne, fortacne, from Old English foret?cn, foret?cen (“foretoken, presage, prognostic, prodigy, sign, wonder”), equivalent to fore- +? token. Cognate with Dutch voorteken, German Low German Vörteken, German Vorzeichen.

Noun

foretoken (plural foretokens)

1. A prognostic; a premonitory sign; warning or presentment.

Etymology 2

From Middle English *foretoknen, fortaknen, from Old English foret?cnian (“to foreshow”).

Verb

foretoken (third-person singular simple present foretokens, present participle foretokening, simple past and past participle foretokened)

1. (transitive) To betoken beforehand; prognosticate; foreshadow; give warning of; presage.

Derived terms

• foretokening