portend

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for February 2, 2023 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>portend</strong> &#149; \por-TEND\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><em>Portend</em> is usually used in formal and literary contexts as a verb meaning “to give a sign or warning that something is going to happen.” The “something” in question is often, though not always, considered bad or unpleasant.</p> <p>// Many superstitious people believe that breaking a mirror <em>portends</em> trouble.</p> <p>// The old saying about a halo around the moon <em>portending</em> rain has some truth to it: the halo is caused by cirrus clouds drifting 20,000 feet or more above the Earth, and high cirrus clouds often precede stormy weather.</p> <p><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/portend">See the entry ></a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>“While readers may at times wish [author Robert] Hardman’s own views were presented more directly, he ultimately makes a clear argument that the United Kingdom—however loosely united it is these days—is unlikely to do away with the monarchy, even if the end of the Elizabethan era <em>portends</em> significant changes.” — Autumn Brewington, <em>The Washington Post</em>, 12 Sept. 2022</p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>It may seem like a stretch to say that <em>portend</em>, beloved verb of <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/seer">seers</a>, <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/soothsayer">soothsayers</a>, and <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/meteorology">meteorologists</a> alike, is related to <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tendon"><em>tendon</em></a>—the word we use to refer to the dense white fibrous tissue that helps us, well, stretch—but it’s likely true. <em>Portend</em> comes from the Latin verb <em>portendere</em> (“to predict or fore