Added 9 October 2026
herald
/ˈhɛɹəld/ noun
In Latin: praecō Wiktionary
noun Definition from WordNet 3.1, Princeton University. Pronunciation from Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org. More about herald at Wordnik → Where our words come from →
verb
- Foreshadow or presage.
-
Praise vociferously.
The critics hailed the young pianist as a new Rubinstein
- Greet enthusiastically or joyfully.
Origin
From Latin heraldus, from Middle English herald, herauld, heraud, from Anglo-Norman heraud, from Old French heraut, hiraut (modern French héraut), from Frankish *heriwald, from Proto-Germanic *harjawaldaz, a compound consisting of Proto-Indo-European *ker- (“army”) + *h₂welh₁- (“to be strong”). Doublet of Harold and Harald; compare Walter, which has these elements reversed.
From Wiktionary, via Kaikki.org (CC BY-SA)