Adjacent Words

Portend definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

PORTEND', v.t. [L. portendo; por; Eng. fore, and tendo, to stretch.] To foreshow; to foretoken; to indicate something future by previous signs.
A moist and cool summer portends a hard winter.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

v
1: indicate by signs; "These signs bode bad news" [syn: bode, portend, auspicate, prognosticate, omen, presage, betoken, foreshadow, augur, foretell, prefigure, forecast, predict]

Merriam Webster's

transitive verb Etymology: Middle English, from Latin portendere, from por- forward (akin to per through) + tendere to stretch — more at for, thin Date: 15th century 1. to give an omen or anticipatory sign of 2. indicate, signify

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v.tr. 1 foreshadow as an omen. 2 give warning of. Etymology: ME f. L portendere portent- f. por- PRO-(1) + tendere stretch

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Portend Por*tend", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Portended; p. pr. & vb. n. Portending.] [L. portendre, portentum, to foretell, to predict, to impend, from an old preposition used in comp. + tendere to stretch. See Position, Tend.] 1. To indicate (events, misfortunes, etc.) as in future; to foreshow; to foretoken; to bode; -- now used esp. of unpropitious signs. --Bacon. Many signs portended a dark and stormy day. --Macaulay. 2. To stretch out before. [R.] ``Doomed to feel the great Idomeneus' portended steel.'' --Pope. Syn: To foreshow; foretoken; betoken; forebode; augur; presage; foreshadow; threaten.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(portends, portending, portended) If something portends an event or occurrence, it indicates that it is likely to happen in the future. (FORMAL) The change did not portend a basic improvement in social conditions. VERB: V n

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

v. a. Presage, forebode, foretoken, betoken, foreshow, foreshadow, augur, prognosticate, threaten, indicate, bode.

Moby Thesaurus

adumbrate, apprehend, augur, betoken, bode, call, croak, forebode, forecast, foreshadow, foreshow, foretoken, forewarn, give advance notice, have a premonition, have a presentiment, look black, lower, menace, omen, preapprehend, precaution, predict, premonish, prenotify, presage, prewarn, prognosticate, promise, prophesy, tell in advance, threaten, vaticinate, warn