harbinger

[ hahr-bin-jer ]

noun

1. a person who goes ahead and makes known the approach of another; herald.
2. anything that foreshadows a future event; omen; sign:

   Frost is a harbinger of winter.

   Synonyms: indication, portent, precursor, forerunner, herald

3. a person sent in advance of troops, a royal train, etc., to provide or secure lodgings and other accommodations.

verb (used with object)

1. to act as harbinger to; herald the coming of.

harbinger

/ ˈhɑːbɪndʒə /

noun

1. a person or thing that announces or indicates the approach of something; forerunner
2. obsolete.
   a person sent in advance of a royal party or army to obtain lodgings for them

verb

1. tr to announce the approach or arrival of

Word History and Origins

Origin of harbinger¹

First recorded in 1125–75; late Middle English herbenger, nasalized variant of Middle English herbegere, dissimilated variant of Old French herberg(i)ere “host,” equivalent to herberg(ier) “to shelter” (from Germanic; harbor ) + -iere -er ²

Word History and Origins

Origin of harbinger¹

C12: from Old French herbergere, from herberge lodging, from Old Saxon heriberga; compare Old High German heriberga army shelter; see harry , borough

Example Sentences

One generation and then another grew up with Chubby as the happy harbinger of summer.

From The Daily Beast

In fact the vanishing sea is a warning: a harbinger of the long feared war over water in Central Asia.

From The Daily Beast

Whether this three-day system is a harbinger of seasonal weather changes is uncertain.

From The Daily Beast

And as such, it bears closer inspection, if only because it may be a harbinger of conservative attacks to come.

From The Daily Beast

May have been a harbinger of November contests… in pointlessness and cost.

From The Daily Beast

For months the public organs, issued in Spanish and dialect, persistently denounced it as a harbinger of ruin to the Colony.

From Project Gutenberg

It is the beginning of desires, the beginning of life, the dawn of a beautiful summer day, harbinger of the sunrise.

From Project Gutenberg

In general, the atmosphere is tranquil, but occasionally a stormy agitation is the harbinger of a change.

From Project Gutenberg

Harbinger leaned forward to the grate, and began to pound the coal with the poker in a way that bespoke embarrassment.

From Project Gutenberg

Within the following year Mr. Campbell died, and the always welcome Millennial Harbinger ceased its monthly visits.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• omen
• portent
• precursor