prescience

[ presh-uhns, -ee-uhns, pree-shuhns, -shee-uhns ]

noun

1. knowledge of things before they exist or happen; foreknowledge; foresight.

prescience

/ ˈprɛsɪəns /

noun

1. knowledge of events before they take place; foreknowledge

Derived Forms

• ˈprescient, adjective
• ˈpresciently, adverb

Other Words From

• prescient adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of prescience¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English, from Late Latin praescientia “foreknowledge”; equivalent to pre- + science

Word History and Origins

Origin of prescience¹

C14: from Latin praescīre to foreknow, from prae before + scīre to know

Example Sentences

Setting aside any bruised pride, he said there are plenty of reasons to visit the region, beyond its former political prescience.

From Los Angeles Times

Maybe Ben Franklin’s wry quip about a “Republic, if you can keep it,’ was more prescience than cynicism.

From Salon

Fifteen years later, today’s report proves this point’s prescience.

From BBC

In his 1989 journal article "Feminism, the Body, and the Machine," Berry lambasts the era's burgeoning tech revolution with jarring prescience:

From Salon

A citation composed in 2000 with the prescience that accompanies old knowledge brought forward.

From Salon

Related Words

• foreknowledge
• presage