different between messenger vs portent

English

Etymology

From Middle English messengere, messingere, messangere, from Old French messanger, a variant of Old French messagier (French messager), equivalent to message +? -er. Doublet of messager.Displaced native English boda (“messenger, envoy”) and English ærendwreca (“messenger, ambassador”).

For the replacement of -ager with -enger, -inger, -anger, compare passenger, harbinger, scavenger, porringer. This development may have been merely the addition of n, or it may have resulted due to contamination from other suffixes such as Middle English -ing and the rare Old French -ange, -enc, -inge, -inghe (“-ing”) for Old French -age (“-age”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?m?s.n?.d???/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?m?s.n?.d???/
• Hyphenation: mes?sen?ger

Noun

messenger (plural messengers)

1. One who brings messages.
2. (nautical) A light line with which a heavier line may be hauled e.g. from the deck of a ship to the pier.
3. The supporting member of an aerial cable (electric power or telephone or data).
4. (law) A person appointed to perform certain ministerial duties under bankrupt and insolvent laws, such as to take charge of the estate of the bankrupt or insolvent.

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Bouvier to this entry?)

   (Can we find and add a quotation of Tomlins to this entry?)

5. (computing) An instant messenger program.
6. A forerunner.
7. A light scudding cloud preceding a storm.
8. A piece of paper, etc., blown up a string to a kite.
9. (oceanography) A weight dropped down a line to close a Nansen bottle.
10. The secretary bird.
11. (Scotland) A messenger-at-arms.

Derived terms

• instant messenger
• raven-messenger

Translations

Verb

messenger (third-person singular simple present messengers, present participle messengering, simple past and past participle messengered)

1. (transitive) To send something by messenger.

   I'll messenger over the signed documents.

English

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin portentum, participle of portendere, from portend? (“I predict, I foretell”).

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?p??t?nt/
• (General American) IPA^(key): /?p??t?nt/
• (rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /?po(?)?t?nt/
• (non-rhotic, without the horse–hoarse merger) IPA^(key): /?po?t?nt/

Noun

portent (plural portents)

1. Something that portends an event about to occur, especially an unfortunate or evil event; an omen.
2. A portending; significance

3. Something regarded as portentous; a marvel; prodigy.

Synonyms

• See also Thesaurus:omen

Related terms

• portend
• portentous

Translations

References

Anagrams

• torpent

French

Pronunciation

Verb

portent

1. third-person plural present indicative of porter
2. third-person plural present subjunctive of porter

Latin

Verb

portent

1. third-person plural present active subjunctive of port?