First Known Use: 14th century
Dictionary
1harbinger
noun har·bin·ger \ˈhär-bən-jər\
: something that shows what is coming
Full Definition of HARBINGER
1
archaic : a person sent ahead to provide lodgings
2
a : one that pioneers in or initiates a major change : precursor b : one that presages or foreshadows what is to come
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Origin of HARBINGER
Middle English herbergere, from Anglo-French, host, from herberge camp, lodgings, of Germanic origin; akin to Old High German heriberga
Synonym Discussion of HARBINGER
forerunner, precursor, harbinger, herald mean one that goes before or announces the coming of another. forerunner is applicable to anything that serves as a sign or presage <the blockade was the forerunner of war>. precursor applies to a person or thing paving the way for the success or accomplishment of another <18th century poets like Burns were precursors of the Romantics>. harbinger and herald both apply, chiefly figuratively, to one that proclaims or announces the coming or arrival of a notable event <their early victory was the harbinger of a winning season> <the herald of a new age in medicine>.
2harbinger
verb
Definition of HARBINGER
transitive verb
: to be a harbinger of : presage
First Known Use of HARBINGER
1646
Related to HARBINGER
- Synonyms
- adumbrate, forerun, foreshadow, herald, prefigure
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