Added 9 October 2026
harbinger
/ˈhɑːbɪndʒə/ noun
In Latin: praenuntius Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about harbinger at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
- Foreshadow or presage.
Origin
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, bury.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)