herald

<font size="-1" face="arial, helvetica"> <p> <strong> <font color="#000066">Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for April 28, 2021 is:</font> </strong> </p> <p> <strong>herald</strong> &#149; \HAIR-uld\&nbsp; &#149; <em>verb</em><br /> <p><strong>1 :</strong> to give notice of <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/announce">announce</a></p> <p><strong>2 a :</strong> to greet especially with enthusiasm <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hail#h3">hail</a></p> <p><strong>b :</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/publicize">publicize</a></p> <p><strong>3 :</strong> to signal the approach of <strong>:</strong> <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/foreshadow">foreshadow</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Examples:</strong><br /> <p>The appearance of robins <em>heralded</em> the arrival of spring.</p> <p>"The amount of money invested into U.K. tech companies has almost doubled in the past six months, <em>heralding</em> what prime minister Boris Johnson says could be a 'record-breaking year in 2021.'" — <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/oliverwilliams1/2021/03/16/london-firms-raise-billions-heralding-a-golden-age-for-uk-tech/?sh=704dc55244cb">Ollie Williams, <em>Forbes</em>, 16 Mar. 2021</a></p> </p> <p> <strong>Did you know?</strong><br /> <p>While <em>herald</em> the verb is more common today, <em><a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/herald">herald</a></em> the noun is older. When the word was first used in the early 14th century, it referred to an official at a <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tournament">tournament</a> (one of those knightly sporting events the Middle Ages are famous for); the herald's duties included making announcements, hence the word's uses relating to announcements, literal and metaphorical. The word is ultimately Germanic in origin, coming from <a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hera