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Harbinger
Definitions
- 1 A person or thing that foreshadows or foretells the coming of someone or something.
"harbinger of danger; harbinger of doom; harbinger of spring"
- 2 something that precedes and indicates the approach of something or someone wordnet
- 3 One who provides lodgings; especially, the officer of the English royal household who formerly preceded the court when travelling, to provide and prepare lodgings. obsolete
"outward decency […] is the Harbinger to provide the lodging for inward holinesse"
- 1 To announce or precede; to be a harbinger of. transitive
"It was harbingered also by the terrible comet of January, which appeared in a cadent and obscure house, denoting sickness and death; […]"
- 2 foreshadow or presage wordnet
Etymology
Originally, a person sent in advance to arrange lodgings. From Middle English herberjour, herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor (French hébergeur), from herbergier (“to set up camp; to shelter; to take shelter”) + -or (suffix forming agent nouns), from Old High German heribergan, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *harjabergu (“army camp, shelter”). Compare German Herberge, Italian albergo, Dutch herberg, English harbor. More at here, borrow.
Originally, a person sent in advance to arrange lodgings. From Middle English herberjour, herbergeour, from Old French herbergeor (French hébergeur), from herbergier (“to set up camp; to shelter; to take shelter”) + -or (suffix forming agent nouns), from Old High German heribergan, ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *harjabergu (“army camp, shelter”). Compare German Herberge, Italian albergo, Dutch herberg, English harbor. More at here, borrow.
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